After announcing the end of his 25-year-old talk show last Tuesday, Larry King waited all of half an hour before daydreaming about the next line on his résumé.
“I got to get other things to do,” Mr. King said as his guest on CNN, Bill Maher, questioned him about what he would like to do next. He mused about giving speeches and doing stand-up, then said he could see himself appearing on an HBO comedy special, a forte of Mr. Maher’s.
Mr. King, 76, says he is leaving his talk show willingly, but he clearly does not want to leave the TV stage. The day after the chat with Mr. Maher, he called into the MLB Network and told the anchor Greg Amsinger that he would love a job there, perhaps as “Bob Costas West.” The on-air talk even turned to logistics, with Mr. King saying he would need a West Coast studio, something the network currently lacks.
Mr. King will wrap up “Larry King Live” by November. The blog TVNewser reported last week that Mr. King’s separation agreement with CNN allows him to join another network unless it is a direct competitor.
At CNN, a new contract will allow him to return for occasional specials. At a lunch last Tuesday, before Mr. King made his plans public, he “already had the wheels turning about what these specials could be,” said Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S.
But Mr. King evidently wants to be doing more than that. He has a stake in a venture called the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company that is trying to open a branch in Beverly Hills. His publicist, Howard Rubenstein, said Mr. King could end up endorsing products, giving speeches, writing a newspaper column or teaching journalism.
“His future is looking very bright — with a lot of money attached,” Mr. Rubenstein said.
“You will see me in other places,” Mr. King told Mr. Maher. “Remember, I’m free.”