Pull the knob. May require alot of force. You'll then see a nut that when. Loosened will pop the outer ring and whole thing out.

 

Thanks. All I want is the knob to come off. The nut and mechanisms behind it won't be touched. Will report back with what worked.

 

Yep. The knob just pulls right off.
It shouldn't be that difficult to to remove it.

 

Ok, it just pulls straight off. First attempt was bare fingers; not enough grip. Second try was putting masking tape on sides for extra grip. Still couldn't. 3rd try was using a soft bite with a pair of vise grips. Just pulled the tape off. Final try was tighter with the vise grip, w/o crushing the knob. Still spooked me as the left side of the instrument cluster bowed outward a bit before the knob actually released. It just snaps back on with a little push.
In summary, use pliers that bite hard enough they won't slip, but not hard enough to damage the knob. I'd recommend vise grips over regular pliers so you don't accidentally squeeze harder when you pull.

 

Glad you got the knob off the car. Odd it took so much effort.
While I've never had my headlight switch knob off, I have take the fog light switch knob off a couple of times.