Well, all the naysayers seem to have been right. Little Falcon Heene, who will now forever be immortalized as the balloon boy who sparked a media sensation, appeared on Larry King tonight and spilled the beans: it was a ruse!

Speaking with Larry King stand-in Wolf Blitzer, an absolutely confused Falcon, explaining why he didn't come out of hiding when he heard his parents calling his name, blurted, "You guys said, that, um, we did this for the show." We assume he's referring to Wife Swap, a show upon which the family has appeared twice.

His father's initial response to the apparent confession? A disgraced "man."

Update: Daddy dearest later said he was "appalled" by intimations the family did this all for publicity. Simply appalled!

Send an email to Andrew Belonsky, the author of this post, at andrew.belonsky@gmail.com.