Larry King, the 76-year-old talk show host who's been smeared by critics over ratings and poked fun of by comics for his age, stated Tuesday that he's calling it quits.

The Los Angeles-based Larry King Live show has been on the air for 25 years. At the beginning of Tuesday's program, he made the announcement:

I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end Larry King Live, the nightly show, this fall and CNN has graciously accepted, giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids' little league games

.

King states that he'll still host specials on CNN. He says he's the record-holder for having the longest-running, single-host show.

(King as seen through the lens of Saturday Night Live):

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