Carrie Prejean, the increasingly outspoken conservative beauty queen, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" Wednesday night to plug her book, "Still Standing." But King's questions about a verboten topic resulted in several moments of awkward silence and nearly drove Prejean from the set.

Prejean spent the first portion of the interview praising her sisters in the conservative movement, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Sarah Palin, as "brilliant . . . great mothers" who have been "Palinized" -- that is, savaged by media for their political views. King then turned the conversation to Prejean's legal settlement with the Miss California USA pageant, including her claim of religious discrimination against the organization.

"Larry, everything that was discussed in mediation is -- I'll say it again -- is completely confidential," Prejean said. "I am not going to be able to talk about that."

When King asked about the suit twice more, Prejean said, "Larry, you're being inappropriate. You really are." King protested, "What? I'm asking a question," and tried again for information on the dispute.

Prejean then said to someone off-camera, "We're going to have to leave," and took off her microphone -- the death knell of any live interview. "Larry, you are being extremely inappropriate and I'm about to leave your show."

After several excruciating moments of silence -- interrupted occasionally by King asking, "Is she leaving?" and demanding of Prejean, "Who are you talking to?" -- she put her microphone back on to continue the interview.

We could tell you more, but you really should watch the video below.

Prejean stirred controversy for her answer to a question about gay marriage during the Miss USA pageant earlier this year. The controversy intensified when racy pictures of her were published, and earlier this week she admitted to making a solo sex tape that recently surfaced.