Huffington Post

Danny Shea

Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant last week.

"My contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I've made the decision not to do radio anymore," she told Larry King. "The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what's on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I'm sort of done with that."

Dr. Laura emphasized that she is "not retiring" but rather just ending her radio show.

"I'm not retiring, I'm not quitting, I feel energized actually," she said. "Stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country."

Schlessinger said she will continue to write books and to publish on the internet and maintain her speaking engagements.

Last week, she apologized for using the N-word eleven times in five minutes with a black female caller.

She insists, however, that the decision to leave radio was her choice and not forced upon her by her syndicator.

"Were you gonna have a new contract?" King asked.

"Yeah," Dr. Laura responded. "We've added five stations this week and added sponsors. This is not an issue of I'm losing anything."

Schlessinger said the outrage over her use of the N-word led her to feel as though her First Amendment rights were being infringed upon.

"Living with the constant fear of affiliates and sponsors being attacked is very distracting," she said. "I never called anybody a bad word. I was trying to bring — and obviously it has become a national discussion now — I was trying to make a philosophical point. And I made it wrong, but I wasn't dissing anybody. I was trying to make a point, and for that to say that I should be silenced is the reason why I'm saying to you that I'm obviously losing First Amendment rights."

Video to come...

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