CNN CEO Chris Licht has confirmed that former NBA star Charles Barkley and Gayle King will co-host a new weekly primetime show. Set to premiere this fall on the cable news network, the series will be titled King Charles.
King and Barkley announced the project together Saturday on TNT—which, like CNN, is also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The pair’s hour-long series is expected to air on Wednesdays.
During Saturday’s announcement, Barkley said he wasn’t looking for another job but when Licht proposed he partner with King for the show, he said “hell yeah.”
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“I know she is going to be a straight shooter and you know I am a straight shooter,” he said.
Barkley said King Charles would not have a political bent and that he was determined that the program would not be “clickbait.”
King promised the show will promote “a good conversation without tearing other people down.”
The one-hour program would tackle current issues like gun violence, as well as lighter fare such as food and pop culture.
Gayle King (L) and Charles Barkley, seen here at the 2017 NBA Awards Live on TNT, have been friends for years.
Kevin MazurIn a written statement to his CNN colleagues, Licht said that he was “thrilled” about the project.
“This show will be an exciting new way we are delivering culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives to our audience,” Licht wrote, “from two incredibly dynamic personalities.”
As Licht observed in his statement, both King and Barkley have taken on King Charles while remaining in other roles. King will continue to anchor CBS Mornings, and Barkley still has his contract with Warner Bros. Discovery’s WBD Sports.
