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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.’"
College basketball analyst Charles Barkley is set to co-host a CNN program in the fall. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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."
Charles Barkley previously referred to CNN as a "s---show" in February. (Justin Tafoya/NBAE via Getty Images)
They eventually reached an agreement, and the show will be called "King Charles" and air Wednesday evenings in the fall. King described the program as a place to have "good conversation without tearing each other down." It was the brainchild of former CEO Chris Licht, who was fired last week.
"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.
Charles Barkley remarked that people have wanted him that joining CNN is akin to "jumping on the Titantic." (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
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 said 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.
Fox News' Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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