Larry King’s Longtime Producer Wendy Walker on His Unique Interview Style, Kids, and More

Tributes and memories of Larry King continue to pour in after the legendary broadcaster passed away on Saturday at 87. “Extra’s” Billy Bush spoke with his longtime executive producer Wendy Walker today.

Sharing how she is feeling, Wendy said, “Well, I think there is a silence around the world without his voice.”

She told Billy, “He adored you, he really did. He thought you were funny, and being funny was really important to him because he was funny. His timing and his humor was so impeccable and he saw that in you.”

Billy, flattered, replied, “Thank you so much.”

Bush asked what made Larry the best, and Walker explained, “He always said he never learned anything while he was talking; he always kept his questions super short… He listened — he always listened to his guests… Another important thing, he never made it about himself.”

Billy added, “Sometimes he got criticized for not asking the ‘gotcha’ question. He made it an environment where people could just be themselves and talk. Do you think that we are missing that today?”

Wendy replied, “I think the reason people felt comfortable with Larry is because he didn’t have an agenda. It didn’t matter if it was a president or a man on the street — he treated them all the same. I got excited when we had a big get. He didn’t… When you go into an interview like that, not thinking you’re going to nail this guy to get the big scoop, that’s when people open up, so I always loved it when we got that rap. We got more guests… There was always news on ‘Larry King Live.’”

Billy asked, “Was he better because he didn’t overprepare?”

Wendy said, “Absolutely. As a producer, that was the hard part for me… He was a master every time… It was much better when we didn’t try to give him too much. He really wanted to hear the guest the first time.”

Billy wanted to know, “Was there something that drove you nuts?” Wendy laughed, “Baseball… This man would go on all day long, all night long if he could. He loved it when the show went long… But with baseball, if he could, he would take the baseball season off… During the baseball season, he had to have all the scores during the break. Somebody would have to run in.”

Billy also asked, “How did his life change with the arrival of [sons] Chance and Cannon?” Wendy replied, “They were everything to him. He was so proud and loved them so much, as he did all his children. He was a good father and loved his children.”