Charles Barkley to co-host CNN show
Heather Hunter
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Former NBA star Charles Barkley officially announced on Saturday that he will be co-hosting a weekly CNN talk show called King Charles, beginning in the fall. The show will air on Wednesday nights, and he will host alongside CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King.
Barkley and King made the announcement after months of speculation on TNT’s NBA pregame show on Saturday.
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“What I think is so great about it is that it’s live TV. Live TV is like working without a net,” King said Saturday on the TNT set sitting next to Barkley. “So whatever happens happens. I like that.”
King admitted that they were pressured into doing the show during the announcement.
“I wasn’t looking for another job. Were you?” King asked Barkley.
Barkley responded, “No. When they said something ‘I said hell no, I don’t want to be on TV more.’ Then they said, ‘Well, what about Gayle?’ I said, ‘Gayle, who?’ They said, ‘Gayle King.’ I said, ‘I’ll work with Gayle. That’s the only way.'”
He said they called each other and agreed that they didn’t want to do more TV but ended up having a great conversation about it.
Barkley said he wants the show to be “non-political.”
“But we’ll talk about politics,” King interjected.
“We will,” Barkley said. “But we don’t want to say we are liberal, conservative, Republican, or Democrat.”
The former basketball star called his co-host “a straight shooter.”
Barkley told the TNT show on Saturday that he just wants an “honest discussion,” not just a conversation meant for “click-bait.”
“This show will be an exciting new way we are delivering culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives to our audience,” CNN president Chris Licht said in a statement.
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CNN has been struggling to rework its late-night and prime-time lineup since it fired the 9 p.m. host Chris Cuomo at the end of 2021 and moved Don Lemon from 10 p.m. to mornings.
Executives for the network have been reportedly pushing for “news entertainment” personalities to fill the void, but even Bill Maher’s addition to the late-night programming has been a ratings flop.