Gayle King And Charles Barkley To Host New CNN Show ‘King Charles’

While Gayle King typically lives on the “CBS Mornings” screen and Charles Barkley is usually found giving sports commentary, the two will join forces on the cable news screen. 

CNN confirmed Saturday (April 22) that King and Barkley will co-host “King Charles,” a weekly show on the cable news network that will air in the fall of 2023. The news was announced on TNT’s “NBA Tip-off,” describing the show as a “live, hour-long weekly discussion show.” An official premiere date has not been announced.  

Chris Licht, CEO of CNN, wrote he was “thrilled” to have King and Barkley join the network in an email to CNN colleagues. 

“This show will be an exciting new way we are delivering culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives to our audience, from two incredibly dynamic personalities,” he wrote. 

Licht confirmed that King will remain as the CBS Mornings anchor chair, a position she’s held for 11 years. Barkley will also continue to work with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports as a commentator. 

“I wasn’t looking for another job,” King, who also hosts “Gayle King in the House,” on Sirius XM, said on “NBA Tip-Off” and Barkley agreed.

But when the opportunity came to work with King, Barkley recalled saying, “Oh, yeah, I’ll work with Gayle.” 

“King Charles” comes nearly a year after Licht was appointed as CNN’s new CEO after Jeff Zucker was forced out of the job after admitting he had violated corporate rules by not revealing his romantic relationship with a CNN marketing executive, Allison Gollust. 

Before taking on the CNN role Licht was Stephen Colbert’s executive producer and in 2012, he relaunched “CBS This Morning.”