Why the Ladies Love Larry King

April 16, 2010 — -- He's 76, married to a woman almost 30 years his junior and now is divorcing his seventh wife.

It sounds like a plotline from "One Life to Live," but instead this is the real life of Larry King.

On Wednesday, King filed for divorce for the eighth time (he married wife Alene Akins twice), this time from Shawn Southwick, 50, with whom he has two children, Chance and Cannon King. Later the same day, Southwick also filed for divorce. Both spouses claimed irreconcilable differences.

The couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, "Access Hollywood" reported Friday. King's attorney confirmed the report, but said there was "another agreement in place."

Either way, it may be one more sign that the King divorce battle will have twists and turns. Already, there are reports that the couple is fighting over child custody and that both spouses may have been cheating on each other at one time or another

In any event, King is back on the market.

The longest he ever has gone without being married is five years, so bachelorettes should get ready. If history repeats itself, America could see another Mrs. King soon.

Larry the Sex-Appeal King?

But with the possibility of an impending King wedding, the question becomes who would want to date, marry and consummate a relationship with a man so close to being in his 80s. Really, why do so many ladies seem to love Larry King?

"Larry is hot!" Joy Behar said on Thursday's "The View." "He's a sex machine, OK? It's running on kerosene, but still."

There must be something about Larry King that draws in beautiful women because he definitely dates lookers. In the past, he has been connected to Angie Dickinson and beauty queen Rama Fox.

"My mother in law made me realize that this guy had something that women found very attractive," Paul Levinson, a professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University, told ABCNews.com. "She listened to him religiously in the early '80s before he had a television show. She would stay up all night just listening to him on the radio."

King's calming nature piques women's interest, Levinson said.

"He's relaxing and non-threatening, and to women who want a sort of shelter, that is very attractive," Levinson said. "Also, his combination of age, voice and demeanor make him attractive to women. He is seen as a grandfatherly figure. He is endearing and not correct 100 percent of the time and he apologizes, and that kind of flavor makes women feel comfortable."

"He has all the good qualities of maturity," said Michael Musto, entertainment columnist for the Village Voice. "He is a paternal figure who may not know all the answers, but he knows all the questions."

Musto said reports of possible infidelity with his wife's sister may make him even more appealing to women.

"That does make him a very sexual being," Musto said, "And that might even make him a hottie in some people's eyes."

Carole Lieberman, who has appeared in panels on King's show, said that ladies love the power that he portrays.

"Power is an aphrodisiac," Lieberman told ABCNews.com. "If you're Larry's wife, you're one of the 'first ladies' of Hollywood, which is arguably more fun than being the first lady in Washington. You get invited to all the best parties, get to hobnob with all the newsmakers of the day, and get all sorts of other perks. You become rich and famous by association."

Rachel Sussman, a New York-based relationship expert, told ABCNews.com that even though King has a "certain je ne sais quoi," for relationships to work they have to be about common ground.

"The more a couple has in common, the greater the chance is it will work out," Sussman said. "When you marry someone from a different generation, there are just so many obstacles to making the marriage work."

Money could help.

"Money buys honey" -- or at least that is what Sussman's father used to tell her.

"All little girls want to marry a prince riding a white horse," Sussman said. "We, as a culture, have always been infatuated with Hollywood and celebrity. And Larry is even more than [a regular celebrity] because he is a celebrity that knows everybody and has access to everybody."

"It's nothing new that certain women are attracted to celebrity and money," Musto said. "Larry is definitely very well-established financially. But older people are not normally treated with this kind of heat, so there must be certain women that find talk show legends sexy."

However, it seems King doesn't just date these women, he marries them.

"With a guy who never got married and just dated this many women, no one would bat an eye," Sussman said. "The main reason why this is such a story is because he was stupid enough to get married eight times."

Lieberman said he is in control of the relationships and, in this case, the divorce.

"Women think they will be able to control him with their sexuality," Lieberman said, "But once they marry him, they realize that he has the power in the relationship, as well as on the air."

At Least He's a Good Listener

The stereotypical woman likes to talk and the stereotypical man doesn't listen. But to most viewers King, perhaps one of the best listeners in the talk-show business, seems to be the opposite of that stereotype.

"He is definitely attractive because he is an interviewer and is perceived as a good listener," Levinson said. "Unlike Bill O'Reilly, who interviews like he is firing a machine gun, Larry has a softer approach to interviewing. He talks a lot less than most other interviewers. We all want someone to listen to us. We are naturally attracted to people who will listen to us because it makes us feel comfortable to share."

Musto agreed.

"Larry is a good listener and observer," he said. "He lends a sympathetic ear. He doesn't hammer away at his guests. Instead, he draws their story out and that makes him very hot despite that fact that he is physically not Zac Efron.

"He also projects an image of unflappability," Musto said, referencing 2009's interview with California beauty queen Carrie Prejean in which she took off her mike and refused to answer his questions. "He has been there. He's not thrown off by anything, and that can be seen as attractive."

Generally, women have a need to be heard, Sussman said, and a man that listens is attractive.

But King's divorce record speaks for itself.

"Considering his history," Sussman said, "I am not sure that he is a good listener when it comes to his wives and girlfriends."