Charles Barkley considering new CNN gig to boost tanking ‘s**t show’ network

Sports broadcaster and former NBA star Charles Barkley is considering doing a show on CNN out of respect for host Gayle King in a bid to help the network ” because obviously, it is a sh*t show right now.”

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

If the show were to ever happen, it reportedly would not be a daily one for a whole host of reasons, including Barkley asserting he would not do that.

“That is never going to happen,” he flatly stated.

Leftist media platform, Puck, previously broke the story that CNN was interested in the duo. King is under contract currently with CBS. Puck reported that CNN wanted both King and Barkley but not on the same program.

Barkley, 60, has previously discussed retiring. Then he turned around and signed a 10-year contract with Warner Brothers Discovery, which is the parent company of TBS and TNT. The amount of money is eye-popping for the deal and is rumored to be in the neighborhood of $180 million. If WBD Sports cuts ties with the NBA when its contract expires following the 2024-25 season, it’s possible that Barkley could become a TV free agent and he would be in demand.

The NBA legend apparently is loyal to WBD which also owns CNN.

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

The CEO of CNN, Chris Licht, is on the hunt for talent to resurrect the network. Barkley, who is seen as one of the greatest sports studio analysts of all time, has often competently and entertainingly spoken on a range of subjects over the years. That and his likable personality would make him very attractive to Licht.

Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson have made “Inside the NBA” extremely popular.

Gayle King is said to be a favorite of Licht’s going back to their time together at CBS in the 2010s. King hosts “CBS Mornings.”

Barkley became friends with King through Oprah Winfrey after he appeared on her show.

If Barkley and King were to come over to CNN it probably wouldn’t happen until the fall, at the earliest. Barkley is currently prepping for the NCAA Tournament and then the NBA playoffs.

King would need to commit before Barkley would sign on with CNN. He’s said to only be considering CNN so he could have his own TV news version of a super team. He could maintain his TNT basketball analysis deal along with appearing on CNN.

“It would be an honor and a privilege to work with Gayle,” Barkley remarked.

CNN’s 9 pm ET time slot has been vacant ever since the December 2021 firing of Chris Cuomo who has never really recovered from being let go. At the time, he was CNN’s most-watched anchor. The primetime vacancy got worse when Licht pulled Don Lemon.

Cuomo’s old time slot has been disastrously filled by leftist talking heads such as Jim Acosta and Jake Tapper. Frequently, the network has turned to 8 pm anchor Anderson Cooper to do two back-to-back hours. Lemon’s old time slot has frequently been filled by CNN anchors Alisyn Camerota and Laura Coates who are not popular either.

A CNN spokesman told Fox News Digital, “Chris is having conversations with dozens of culturally relevant individuals from the worlds of news, sports, entertainment, and comedy.”

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles