Charles Barkley In Talks w/ CNN To Host Primetime Show With Gayle King, Says The Company Is A Sh*t Show & He Wants To Help Them

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley In Talks w/ CNN To Host Primetime Show With Gayle King, Says The Company Is A Sh*t Show & He Wants To Help Them

It looks like Charles Barkley could be headed to CNN!

According to reports, Charles Barkley is in talks with CNN to host a new show during their primetime lineup. During a recent interview, the NBA star turned sports analyst confirmed the reports of the possibility of him working for CNN.

He said,

“They are trying to pair Gayle King and me. We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle.”

Barkley added,

“I just want to help the company because obviously it is a sh*t show right now. Anything I can do to help.”

Charles Barkley

According to reports, execs have been in talks with the NBA legend and broadcaster about appearing on the news channel in hopes that he can help improve the ratings.

The 9 p.m. ET time slot has been vacant ever since the December 2021 firing of Chris Cuomo, who at the time was CNN’s most-watched anchor.

CNN’s new CEO Chris Licht hopes adding Barkley to the network will be a success while network insiders think it’s a bad idea.

A CNN spokesman previously told sources,

“Chris is having conversations with dozens of culturally relevant individuals from the worlds of news, sports, entertainment and comedy.”

One source said,

“He’s [Licht] taken so many swings and they’ve been big misses! It’s very sad how he’s taking this iconic brand and destroying it.”

Another source described the potential new hire as “another disaster waiting to happen” and compared it to MSNBC’s failed primetime show “Up Late with Alec Baldwin,” which only lasted five episodes back in 2013.

The source questioned the success Charles Barkley would have on CNN.

“People watch him to talk about sports, not politics and social justice issues and he’s expensive!” 

They added,

“They’ll be spending a lot of money on someone who’s not a real journalist. That’s not going to help morale when people have lost jobs there.”

Despite the negative feedback, a CNN rep said,

“You can find people to anonymously hate on every decision at every organization in the world. CNN is in talks with some incredible talent to reimagine primetime and we won’t be distracted.”

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

[Source: 1, 2, 3]