Larry King Defends His Marriage In ‘Sham Interview,’ According To Source


Larry King is on the defense after rumors about his wife Shawn Southwick’s alleged infidelity continue to swirl. While King and his wife of 19 years attempted to put recent cheating allegations to rest in a joint televised interview, insiders tell People the whole TV tell-all was a sham cooked up by Shawn and her father.

“It was a sham interview,” an insider said of Larry and Shawn’s appearance on Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family. “His kids are disgusted and outraged.”

During the sit-down, Larry King, 82, said he doesn’t pay attention to the “rumors” about his marriage or his wife.

“I’ve been in the business—next May it’ll be 60 years—and I’ve dealt with rumors a long time. Interviewed people involved with rumors. Rumors are what they are — they’re rumors. And I tell you the truth, I don’t pay any attention to them.”

Shawn, 56, said she and Larry have always had to deal with tabloid talk.

“Last week, there was a rumor going around about Larry and a speech he made in Kiev. This week, I’m the latest pinup girl. You just have to develop a shell around yourself and not get hard on the inside, and stick together.”

Larry king later snuggled with his wife in bed and vowed to put the rumors “to rest right now.”

While the Kings are putting on a united front, another insider told Us Weekly that Larry is secretly devastated over revelations that Shawn has been having an affair with motivational speaker Richard Greene for at least a year. The insider also revealed that Larry and Shawn have been living separate lives for a very long time, but that King is still heartbroken over the news that she has been unfaithful.

“He was blindsided,” the source told Us.

“Larry is hurt and sad about the allegations. He doesn’t know what to do. They haven’t made any decisions about their marriage yet.”

While Larry and his lady are denying that she has been having a lengthy affair, sources told People that Shaw and her father, Karl Engemann, talked King into the televised denial. The source also accused Shawn of manipulating and “controlling” King’s mind and went so far as to allege that Shawn is “holding something over” on the talk show legend.

“Behind closed doors, he’s embarrassed and humiliated and when he gets around her she clearly has something on him. She’s holding something over him.”

This is not the first time King and Southwick have experienced trouble in paradise. Larry married Shawn from a hospital bed in 1997 while recovering from heart surgery, and since that time King and his wife have filed for divorce before. Larry’s attorney told E! News that King cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split at 13 years of marriage.

“He’s going to try and make this divorce amicable,” King’s attorney, Dennis Wasser, said. “His only real interest is the welfare of his two children.”

In 2010, King and his wife both filed for divorce and haggled over custody of their two sons, Chase, now 16, and Cannon, 17, as well as massive amounts of marital property. Still, King and his wife weathered those storms, and they seem to be weathering this one — or just denying it — too.

In addition to his tumultuous marriage to Shawn, Larry King has been married seven other times and has three other adult children.

Take a look at the video below to see Larry king fielding a tabloid reporter’s questions about his alleged marital woes.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]

Share this article: Larry King Defends His Marriage In ‘Sham Interview,’ According To Source
More from Inquisitr