Gayle King And Charles Barkley’s CNN Talk Show Ends
April 16, 2024
Gayle King and Charles Barkley have ended their limited six-month stint on CNN following reports of low viewership.
Gayle King and Charles Barkley have ended their limited six-month stint on CNN following reports of low viewership.
The pair gave their farewells in their show’s final episode last week with King expressing her hope to work with the NBA star again in the future, via The Hollywood Reporter.
“I will say this: I have loved working with you and something tells me, Charles, this will not be the last time that we’re working together,” King told Barkley.
“Call me, Gayle,” Barkley jokingly said in response.
Addressing the “King Charles”viewers, King subtly teased the possibility of her and Barkley’s return to the network.
“We will see you the next time whenever we see you,” King said to the camera. “Thanks so much for being with us for the past six months. We had a blast.”
The limited-edition talk show kicked off in November with a confirmed end for Spring 2024. It only aired one night a week due to Barkley’s other committments as a co-host of the popular “Inside the NBA” on CNN’s sister station TNT.
“King Charles has come to the end of its limited run as we announced when it launched last fall and was a great addition to CNN’s lineup, with the youngest, most affluent, and most diverse P2+ audience in its cable news time period,” a spokesperson for CNN said.
Former CNN CEO Chris Licht came up with the idea for the “King Charles” show and tapped King whom he worked with at CBS News. Barkley’s outspoken persona held him land the co-hosting role alongside King. But the show was seemingly just a tester as it aired following Licht’s firing from CNN last June after just 13 months on the job.
“King Charles” aired at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday nights but reportedly struggled in viewership. Of the 14 episodes that aired, the show drew in an average of 459,000 total viewers and 106,000 in the 25-54 demographic. Nielsen listed it as the lowest-rated prime-time weeknight series debut for CNN in the last decade.
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