by The changing of the guard at the Friars Club is from old guard to older guard.
Larry King, 80, is stepping up to replace 76-year-old Freddie Roman as Dean of the Friars Club, the New York City institution announced late Wednesday. King will sit next to 87-year-old Jerry Lewis, the Friars Club Abbot, in presiding over the Friars Club Roasts and other high functions over the next two years.
King — the longtime interviewer on radio and CNN, currently hosts Larry King Now on Ora.TV and Hulu.
He shared a moment… of his thoughts… Wednesday about joining that “wonderful, ancient show-business club.”
Roll the clip!
Here is the full statement from the Friars Club:
Freddie Roman’s term as Dean of the Friars Club is up and we are saddened to see him stepping down. Freddie has been the driving force behind the Friars Club for 20 years. His leadership, his guidance and his passion for our Club saw us through some of the most wonderful years this Club has seen. During his tenure the Club has saluted the top superstars in show business and solidified our legendary Roasts as the most talked about and imitated event in entertainment–not to mention seeing it brought to television. While we will miss his day‐to‐day involvement on the Board of Governors we are thrilled that his friendship, his smile and his humor remain a part of the fabric of this Club in his new capacity as Dean Emeritus.
We are happy to announce that Friar Larry King will now assume the duties of Dean. He has large shoes to fill but we are absolutely certain he will fill them as adeptly and professionally as he conducts his famous interviews. Larry was the Abbot of the California Friars Club and knows full well the scope of his duties in running the premier entertainment organization in the world. We are honored to work with him and welcome his contributions in taking the Club into its next era.
We bow to Freddie and thank him for his tireless efforts in securing the Club for the new millennium and beyond. To Larry we proudly pass the mantle of leadership–the Club is in more than capable hands and we look forward to working with him on future endeavors.
Jerry Lewis, Abbot
Michael Gyure, Executive Director
