NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley poked some fun at CNN ahead of his upcoming show on the network with Gayle King.
While appearing on the NHL on TNT pregame show Saturday, Barkley briefly spoke about preparing to host a talk show on CNN as it faces ongoing turmoil. According to the basketball great, several people described the situation to him as akin to "jumping on the Titanic."
"Apparently, with this new talk show, I’m jumping on the Titanic," Barkley, also a TNT sports analyst, said. "Everybody keeps saying, ‘Abort, abort, abort.’"
Despite the slight jab, he remained optimistic about the project, which is set to premiere later this year.
"I’m looking forward to it. Gayle is awesome," he commented.
In February, Barkley referred to CNN as a "s---show" when he confirmed negotiations were taking place.
"I just want to help the company because obviously it is a s–- show right now," he said. "Anything I can do to help."
Barkley also insisted that him hosting a nightly show was "never going to happen" and how he was considering the weekly deal out of reverence for King.
"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."
Initial rumors regarding a potential talk show featuring Barkley came about in February when two unnamed sources reportedly claimed that then-CNN boss Chris Licht was "in negotiations to bring Charles Barkley to CNN for a news-oriented primetime show." This report came as Licht pulled longtime anchor Don Lemon from his primetime slot and sought to fill in the vacant weekday lineup.
"Chris is having conversations with dozens of culturally relevant individuals from the worlds of news, sports, entertainment and comedy," a CNN spokesman told Fox News Digital at the time.
The show was finally confirmed in April with the revelation that the show would be called "King Charles" and air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the fall. King described the program as a place to have "good conversation without tearing each other down."
"All I want is people, even if I disagree with them, to be honest with me. I don’t want them saying things to get clickbait. That is one of the things that is what drives me crazy about people in our profession right now," Barkley said with the announcement.
CNN staffers were reportedly enraged over rumors that King would receive a $12 million salary as the network went through several high and low-profile layoffs.
"People are pissed," one CNN insider told Fox News Digital in April.
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A CNN spokesperson later insisted that the $12 million salary speculation was "totally laughable."
"This is just the latest shuffling of the deck chairs on the CNN Titanic," one former CNN producer told Fox News Digital about the network's frequent primetime lineup shifts.
