Charles Barkley Says He’s Contemplating CNN Show — Out of ‘Respect’ For Gayle King: ‘Anything I Can Do To Help’
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley said the main reason he’s contemplating doing a CNN show is out of respect for Gayle King.
In January, Chris Licht shook up CNN’s prime time lineup by airing Overtime, the post-show segment from Bill Maher’s HBO program, Real Time With Bill Maher, Friday nights at 11:30 pm.
Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that the CNN boss turned his attention to Barkley as an option to help boost the network’s ratings.
Byers wrote:
The show would see the 11-time NBA All-Star, Hall of Famer, and current mega-popular TNT Inside the NBA analyst interviewing newsmakers, journalists, and other guests about various topics of the day.
The conceit is that a genuine, outspoken, often humorous figure like Barkley might be a bigger draw than the traditional self-serious newsman, and might be better suited to ask guests the kinds of questions that average Americans actually care about.
Byers added that King of CBS This Morning is said to be on Licht’s mind for her own prime time show.
Barkley did an interview with Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, which was published Thursday morning, and Sir Charles confirmed he spoke to CNN about a show, and it would be with the CBS This Morning host.
“They are trying to pair Gayle King and me,” Barkley said to the Post. “We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle.”
Warner Brothers Discovery owns the network Barkley is on weekly, TNT, as well as CNN.
“I just want to help the company because, obviously, it is a shit show right now,” Barkley said. “Anything I can do to help.”
Barkley admitted he has no interest in doing a daily show for CNN and said, “that is never going to happen.”
“It would be an honor and a privilege to work with Gayle,” said Barkley.
Marchand speculated that if CNN can work a deal to bring both of them to the network for a show, it would likely come in the fall since Barkly’s schedule will ramp up with TNT’s coverage of the March Madness college basketball tournament NBA playoffs that start in mid-April immediately after.
