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It takes some skill to be a talk show host as you need to entertain a certain demographic throughout the week. We have seen people attempt to capture our attention headlining their own programs only to fail. Take a look at these talk show hosts who retired from their television show but not before entertaining us.
Johnny Carson with his sidekick Ed McMahon. Wenn.com
Johnny Carson
Before there was Leno there was Carson. Johnny Carson was the longest running talk show host of The Tonight Show interviewing celebrities from 1962 to 1992. His program ranks as one of TV Guide‘s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. There were sketch comedies, monologues and other entertaining segments that made his Johnny’s show unforgettable.
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Barbara Walters
A true pioneer in broadcast journalism, Barbara Walters said goodbye to the ABC talk show The View today after co-anchoring the program she created for 17 years. Barbara will remain an executive producer during her retirement.
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Oprah
There will never again be a show on television like The Oprah Winfrey Show. Everyone and their mother (probably grandmother too) tuned in each afternoon to see who lady O was interviewing, or what was the big topic of discussion. Running for 25 years, it remains the highest-rated talk show in American history winning 47 Daytime Emmy Awards. Luckily for Oprah followers you can catch her on her OWN network and read the O magazine.
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Larry King
Another former talk show host with a program that ran for 25 years was Larry King aka the King of CNN. His show Larry King Live was not only the longest running program on the cable network but also the highest rated. Later replaced by Piers Morgan Tonight (canceled this year), Larry King Live featured a variety of stars and interviews with individuals involved in popular news stories.
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Jay Leno
Taking over The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson was Jay Leno who hosted the late night talk show from 1992 until 2009 before “retiring” to try something new, The Jay Leno Show. Airing an hour early many people did not find the program interesting. It was cancelled after several months. Controversy came as Conan O’ Brien was supposed to take over (he’d previously hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien) only to be ousted upon Leno’s return. Leno continued to host The Tonight Show until he retired this year, seemingly forcibly to get Jimmy Fallon in the spot.
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Regis Philbin
Did you know that Regis made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the person with the most time spent in front of a television camera? Regis Philbin has kept himself busy with two shows after his 23-year run with Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee that turned into Live! with Regis and Kelly.
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Ricki Lake
For 11 seasons Ricki Lake entertained viewers on her self-titled show that discussed everything from AIDS to love triangles and family drama. The topics were ever changing on Ricki Lake that kept viewers tuned in every week. Even though her show was widely received and renewed Lake made the decision to step down so she could focus on her family. In 2012 Ricki made a comeback reprising her self-titled show. It was cancelled in 2013.
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Rosie O’Donnell
Not to be confused with her other endeavors that didn’t do well, Rosie O’Donnell saw great success with her Emmy award winning show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Running for six years the funny gal made the decision to drop the curtains in order to spend more time with her family.
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Glenn Beck
In the words of Bill O’Reilly this guy is a real pinhead! Glenn Beck hosted the controversial but popular show The Glenn Beck Program on Fox News that ran for two years before he pulled it from the network. A bit toxic in nature his show received heat for many careless comments that lead to boycotts and a decline in sponsors.
