Legendary TV host and writer Larry King died on Saturday at age 87, sparking a new wave of appreciation for his work and life from many in entertainment and around the world. But as the tributes poured in and his life’s work was examined in full, one clip from his show almost immediately went viral.
Shortly after news of King’s death spread on Saturday, several people posted an old interview between the legendary host and Jerry Seinfeld where things appeared to be a bit… tense.
With the news that Larry King passed away this morning, I had to go back and watch this interaction with Jerry Seinfeld. pic.twitter.com/qPc2ThOrNF
— Alex Seixeiro (@AlexSeixeiro) January 23, 2021
In the clip, Seinfeld is asked if he was “canceled,” or if the show named after him ended because the network decided that was the case. Quite famously, Seinfeld and those working on the show decided it was time to wrap it up, and it was one of the few shows in television history to lead the Nielson ratings as it went off the air.
As buzz about the interview grew online, Seinfeld posted a farewell to King on Twitter and cleared the air about that interview, making it clear that the “canceled bit” was just him having some fun with King.
Always loved Larry King and will miss him. The ‘canceled’ bit was just me having fun with his little mistake. Nothing more. Or less. #ripLarry❤️
— Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld) January 23, 2021
“Always loved Larry King and will miss him,” Seinfeld wrote. “The ‘canceled’ bit was just me having fun with his little mistake. Nothing more. Or less.”
It’s nice that Seinfeld cleared up what could be perceived as an awkward interview, and these things tend to take on new meaning when context and perspective is added to the equation. But even after his own name started trending on Twitter on Saturday because of the video, the comedian wanted to make it clear that he was just joking.
