Charles Barkley has confirmed to The New York Post that he is indeed considering an offer to host a show on CNN, but he doesn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea. Puck News reported earlier this month that the network had approached Barkley, but it seems the website left some details out.
Puck News reported that the network is also talking to Gayle King of CBS Mornings. Barkley told Andrew Marchand that the conversations are about he and King working together on a new show.
“They are trying to pair Gayle King and me,” Barkley said. “We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle.”
Charles Barkley and Gayle King know each other well. They were introduced years ago by mutual friend Oprah Winfrey.
As for a schedule, Barkley told Marchand that no one should expect to see him on CNN every night. He said plainly that was “never gonna happen.”
Marchand writes that if a deal gets done, it likely would mean the show would launch in the fall. That would give Charles Barkley time to complete his obligations to TNT and Inside the NBA without any conflict. Next month, the Hall of Famer will also take on a second job as part of Turner Sports’ and CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
“I just want to help the company because obviously, it is a s*** show right now,” Barkley said of his loyalty to his bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery. “Anything I can do to help.”
