Larry King’s wife in rehab for painkiller abuse


Larry King’s 26 years-younger wife, Shawn Southwick King, 48, has entered rehab for an addicted to painkillers. An “unnamed friend” of the talk show host says his wife is being treated for a dependence on prescription medication that she was using to treat chronic migraines:

TALKMEISTER Larry King’s stunning TV-personality wife, Shawn Southwick King, 48, has gone into rehab for addiction to painkillers. King, 74, has been married to Southwick, his sixth wife, for 10 years and they have two children together. A friend of King’s confirmed to Page Six, “Shawn is in rehab for medication issues related to her chronic migraine problem.” CNN declined to comment.

[From Page Six]

This is Page Six, who knows if this is true or if they’re softballing the news and making it seem minor out of some loyalty to King. They’ve been known to pick on people for no reason, to make shit up, and to play favorites.

I had a friend who was addicted to Oxycontin after he took it for back pain and it can really take hold of you quickly. It’s relatively easy to get it online and on the street and it causes terrible withdrawal symptoms if you quit cold turkey.

First lady candidate Cindy McCain also went to rehab for painkiller abuse back in 1990s. She has successfully beaten her addiction been drug free ever since and in 1999 told the press the story of her desperate times and the uncontrollable urges that led her to steal drugs from a nonprofit agency she ran.

When stories come out about famous people suffering addiction and real human problems it becomes a little easier for others facing similar issues to seek help. Best wishes to Mrs. King for a successful recovery.

Larry King and Shawn Southwick are shown in the header at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party on 2/9/08 and below with their sons Chance, 11, and Cannon, 8, at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on 12/21/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

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23 Responses to “Larry King’s wife in rehab for painkiller abuse”

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  1. gracie says:

    Those children are very, very cute!
    She’s a hot sexy 48 year old woman too!
    Woo hoo Larry!

  2. Silly Lilly says:

    I have no sympathy. Drugs, are drugs. THe second you start taking them contradictory to the label, you are intentionally taking them for recreational use and do not cry to me about chronic pain. Go away with that. These rich chicks all think that they are above a heroin addict. They are not. They just have more money to get it legally. Once you allow yourself to cross that line, you are no different than a heroin addict on the streets yet, they look down on them. Hate that double standard crap.

  3. Silly Lilly says:

    and…she is too skinny she has headaches because she is HUNGRY. EAT A SANDWICH.

  4. snappyfish says:

    The only objectionI have is that no person who has ever battled addiction of any kind would say they had ‘successful beaten their addiction’

    I have a woman who works for me who was an alcholic, she has not had a drink in over 19 years. She refers to herself as recovering. So there is my source for my comment.

    This woman is v v lovely for her age. I am sure, however, that her husband’s bank account helps in that endeavor. It is quite possible that her livelyhood depends on her being lovely. which is kind of sad.

    I am not a fan of Mr. King’s due to a v v interesting event. Years ago he wrote an autobiography telling stories of his youth and how he and Sandy Kolfax, the pitcher, were great friends. When asked Mr. Kolfax said he had never met Mr. King and had no idea what he was talking about. When asked King said he added it to make the book interesting. WTF?

    I wish Mrs. King well and all the best for her children

  5. devilgirl says:

    I would be on painkillers too if I had to sleep with a rotting corpse every night!

  6. Celebitchy says:

    You are right Snappyfish I will reword that!

  7. KAT says:

    I ALSO HAVE CHRONIC MIGRAINE HEADACHES, BUT IN NO WAY HAVE I BECOME ADDICTED THE MEDICATION I TAKE!! (ZOMIG) IT MAKES ME WONDER JUST WHAT SHE IS USING!! PROBABLY STREET DRUGS!!

  8. Because I say So says:

    I kind of agree with you, Silly Lilly. Oxycotin, Vicodin, Percoset, and all of those other drugs that are opiods are derivatives of heroin. After two weeks of daily use, your body is going to get hooked. It doesn’t matter if it’s a legal prescription or not, your body synthesizes the drug in the same way. I guess popping pills is the trendy way to get high.

    On a snarky note, I can hardly blame her. You’d need to be high to stay married to him for 10 years

  9. lola says:

    Snappyfish, you plucked those words right out of my mouth! He is so old. Sleeping with him, eeeeewww.

  10. Roma says:

    I sympathize with her – different people synthesize drugs in different ways, and sometimes even the doctors prescribed amount can be too powerful and addicting.

    That being said, doesn’t Larry King look like Mr Burns in that picture?

  11. neelyo says:

    Thank you Devilgirl, I was thinking the exact same thing.

  12. velvet elvis says:

    At least she recognizes she has a problem and is getting help. Give her a break. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or hot bitches…we are all addicted to something naughty.

  13. Karen says:

    Or, Larry encouraged her to take meds for the migraines she claimed to have…I say claimed because she needed to find interesting ways of beating back that rotting corpse husband of hers when he’s looking for sexy times with his wife.

    Gross!

  14. Barry Bondo says:

    Pain? Being married to that fatuous nincompoop isn’t reason enough to shoot morphine directly in one’s brain? I have seen them out together and she is at the midpoint between BORED and STUNNED: I married Grandpa Amos from the Real McCoys!!!

  15. Banana Boat says:

    ENOUGH with the Ed Hardy t-shirts, people! All of the Hollywood tools love that shit. I especially love when older people wear it.. it looks like you’re trying too hard. Please. Ugly tattoo designs stenciled on clothing = do not wear. It’s like that ugly Von Dutch trucker hat phase everyone in L.A. went through. Such lemmings.

  16. MaiGirl says:

    Another shoutout to devilgirl…..I just couldn’t make it happen with Larry King. There is no substance on earth strong enough. Maybe a brick to the cranium….rinse, repeat. 😆

  17. mollination says:

    I can’t believe there are so many people who pass judgment on drug addictions with no past experience. That would be like a guy getting mad at a girl for throwing herself at some guy. How can he know what it’s like to be lovesick if he never has been? It’s easy to spout off directions “Dont get involved. don’t take the prescription against the specified directions. ect.” but I’d much rather hear someone who HAS BEEN THROUGH IT spout off about what is right and wrong.

    If you have never been addicted or known anyone who has, good for you. Stay up on your high horse and far away from those lowly addicts.

    But let me just say, it’s a far different story when you find yourself in a hole and primed/looking for a crutch to get out. Things seem a lot different from that angle and it’s not as easy to see what you’re doing to yourself.

  18. Snowblood says:

    THANK you, Mollination! Exactly. Well & rightly said. I’d share a little here about my past experiences with my broken back and pain medication therapy, but why the fuck would I want to put myself at the judgemental sword’s-edge of a gaggle of gabbling self-righteous high-horse-sitting silly geese on a celeb-gossip site, why – to be ridiculed and sneered at like they do to the celebrities we gossip about here? Yeah, right. I’m not that masochistic.

  19. sallysitwell says:

    I have to say, he looks ridiculous times 400 all blue-jean-and-sneakered-out for the Kids’ Choice Awards. Dude looks like Mr. Burns in that picture, like in that episode where Lisa talks him into being nice and he ends up (of course) going back to his nefarious ways to make the big bucks.

  20. anukexpat says:

    Why do some old guys dress like they are teenagers? Larry, you are an old fart, dress like it.

  21. xxzeon says:

    You go mrs. King….Painkillers are AWESOME…to quote Keith Richards…”rehab is for quitters.’ Try some oxy 80’s, dump the ‘ole ki$e…and gimme a call!!!!!

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