Legendary CNN talk show Larry King Live ran from 1985 to 2010 and was one of the network’s longest-running, most popular shows that featured King interviewing world leaders, professional athletes, and really just about everyone in-between.
Back on November 1 in 2007, King’s guest happened to be Jerry Seinfeld, who was roughly a decade removed from the series finale of Seinfeld, the wildly successful sitcom he famously co-created with Larry David.
Given the immense popularity of the show, the topic was bound to come up in some capacity. So when King asked Seinfeld about it, an equally awkward and funny exchange between the two was gifted to the masses.
It’s the type of clip that, regardless of whether it’s landing on the anniversary of the moment or not, always tends to make the rounds on social media for one reason or another.
A Stunned Jerry Seinfeld Reacts to Larry King Wondering if ‘Seinfeld’ Had Been Canceled by NBC
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
King, an icon of the industry, was always very open about being purposely unprepared for the thousands of interviews he conducted over the years.
Unfortunately, at times that free-flowing approach did not prove to be the greatest formula, as he made the mistake of tossing up the idea that Seinfeld may have been canceled by NBC after nine seasons.
“You gave it [Seinfeld] up, right?” King asked. “They [NBC] didn’t cancel you, you canceled them.”
After what felt like a much longer pause than it actually was, a baffled Seinfeld replied, “You’re not aware of this? You think I got canceled, are you under the impression I got canceled?”
From there, the chaos train had already left the station with some unintended laughter well on the way:
19 years ago tonight, November 1, 2007, on CNN, Larry King made the mistake of suggesting NBC canceled Seinfeld. Jerry quickly informed him that, no, Jerry canceled NBC.
LK: So, you gave it (the show) up.
JS: I gave it up.
LK: So they didn’t cancel you, YOU cancelled them?…— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) November 1, 2026
“I thought that was pretty well-documented,” Seinfeld continued as he talked over King’s words.
“Is this still CNN? … But, yeah, I went off the air, I was the number one show on television, Larry. Do you know who I am?” Seinfeld while attempting to not to break into laughter. “Seventy-five millions viewers! Last episode … there’s a big difference between being canceled, and being number one!”
With King offering an apology while desperately trying to get to a commercial break by promoting the release of Seinfeld’s new Bee Movie, the exasperated comedian kept interrupting, finally shouting with a laugh, “Can we get a resume in here for me, that Larry can go over?”
After King sadly passed away at the age of 87 in 2021, Seinfeld showed love to both the man himself and their amusing exchange that had once again began circulating on social media:
“Always loved Larry King and will miss him. The ‘canceled’ bit was just me having fun with his little mistake. Nothing more. Or less.”
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
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