Larry King’s Seven Divorces: Who Are His Ex-Wives?

A lot can be said about legendary talk show host Larry King’s six-decade career. But the late CNN host’s relationship history, which includes eight marriages to seven different women, is almost as interesting as his interviews.

King’s marriage history began in the 1950s when he married his high school sweetheart and ended with his estrangement from his most recent wife. Let’s take a look at all of King’s marriages as well as how they were impacted by divorce laws in California. Along the way, we’ll cover what you can do if you’re considering filing for divorce in the Golden State.

Who Are Larry King’s Ex-Wives?

In an interview with People Magazine from February 2020, King said, “I got married a lot, but in my head, I’m not a marrying guy. When I grew up, nobody lived together. If you fell in love, you got married. And so I married the ones that I loved. But what I loved at 20 is not what I loved at 30, and what I loved at 30 is not what I loved at 40.”

And did he love! The 87-year-old radio personality was married a whopping eight times to seven different women throughout his life. Below is a chronicle of each of his marriages. 

Freda Miller (1952 – 53)

King’s first marriage was to his high school girlfriend, Freda Miller. He was reportedly only 18 years old at the time. The marriage didn’t last, however. It was annulled in 1953 because their parents reportedly did not approve. 

Annette Kaye (1961) 

King’s second wife was Annette Kaye. They got married in 1961 and got divorced less than a year later. During that period, Kaye had King’s first son, Larry King Jr.

Alene Akins (1961 – 63, 1968 – 71) 

King married former Playboy bunny Alene Akins in 1961. The marriage ended in divorce in 1963, but that wasn’t the end of King’s romance with Akins. The couple rekindled their love and remarried in 1968 after he divorced his fourth wife, Mickey Sutphin. They split up for good in 1971.

King adopted Akins’ son Andy during their first marriage. Akins gave birth to their daughter, Chaia, during their second marriage. Sadly, both children died within weeks of each other in 2020. Andy, 65, died in late July from a heart attack, and his sister Chaia, 51, died some weeks later from lung cancer. 

Mary Francis “Mickey” Sutphin (1964 – 66) 

King’s fourth wife was Mickey Sutphin. The couple wed in 1964 and divorced in 1966 after they had one child together. That child, Kelly, was later adopted by Sutphin’s second husband. 

Sharon Lepore (1976 – 83) 

King remained a bachelor for a decade after divorcing Sutphin. In 1976, he struck up a romance with production assistant Sharon Lepore. Their marriage lasted six years before ending in divorce. 

Julie Alexander (1989 – 92) 

King married his sixth wife, businesswoman Julie Alexander, in 1989. The pair separated in 1990, but wouldn’t become officially divorced until 1992. 

Shawn Southwick (1997 – 2019) 

Actress Shawn Southwick was King’s final wife. The couple got married in 1997 and remained married for 22 years before King filed for divorce in August 2019. They had two sons: Chance and Cannon.

King’s divorce to Southwick was never finalized. She remained his wife until his death on January 23, 2021, and will likely inherit a large chunk of his estimated $60 million fortune.

“I’m sorry about the marriage,” King told People Magazine about Southwick. “I’ll always care for my wife. But it just hit a point where we didn’t get along.”

Is Filing for Divorce in California That Easy?

Larry King’s many marriages and subsequent divorces make it look like it’s easy to get a divorce in California—and it generally is! To get started, all you need to do is file a divorce petition asking a court to dissolve your marriage. The petition will include information about property division and, if applicable, alimony, child custody, and child support.

You then must formally serve the divorce papers to your spouse. They will have 35 days to file a response to the petition. This  is where they can disagree with any of the requests you made in the divorce filings.

If you and your spouse both agree to the terms of your divorce before filing the initial petition, you can have an uncontested divorce. If your spouse has requests that conflict with what you listed in the initial petition, you have a contested divorce. In that case, you will need to reach an agreement on the divorce terms either through mediation or trial.

You Don’t Need an Expensive Attorney to File for Divorce 

Contrary to what many couples believe, filing for divorce in California does not require an expensive attorney. A People’s Choice provides low-cost, professional assistance in preparing and filing all of the required paperwork.

Contact us today for more information on California divorce laws. Then, if you want to file for divorce, one of our legal document assistants will be happy to guide you through every step of the process. Call us at 800-747-2780 to learn more!