“Jumping On The Titanic”: “Abort” Echoes Around Charles Barkley As Popular Network’s Woes See No End

Charles Barkley isn’t one to mince his words. Whether it be calling out players, or the league itself; he’s not one to shy away from harsh truths. He’s also one of the funniest people on television. So, it wasn’t a surprise seeing the Chuckster in top form again. The beloved sports personality was recently seen on NHL on TNT. And even though known for his basketball acumen, Sir Charles proved that his knowledge isn’t limited.

While there to hype up the Stanley Cup Finals, it was his comments about his employers that caught fans’ attention. The reference was to the recent turmoil that his soon-to-be cable network is experiencing lately, all thanks to Licht’s firing.

The CNN turmoil

While TNT, does remarkably well, the ratings for CNN have fallen off. Among the primary reasons was Chief Chirs Licht. After a tumultuous 13-month stay at the position, the tension peaked last week.

A scathing Atlantic profile referred to Licht as thin-skinned and aloof among other allegations. After talking to 100+ CNN employees, the verdict stood Licht was unfit to lead the company into a successful future.

As a result, CNN continues to look for a new chief. However, among his last few major moves was the announcement of this show.

Charles Barkley alludes to jumping on a Sinking Ship

In the middle of the turmoil, Barkley displayed his wit once again and had some fun at CNN’s expense while promoting NHL. His stint, with legends like Wayne Gretzky, was amazing, to where Gretzky asked him to become a regular on the show. Alluding to Barkley’s new role, Wayne said, “You don’t need to go take that news job… You can come on our show. You know more about hockey than we do!” 

Gretzky was, of course, referring to his new role with CNN. However, Charles had a hilarious comeback. “Apparently, with this new talk show, I’m jumping on the Titanic.” 

Chuck further mentioned how a lot of the people close to him were asking him to reject the deal. “Everybody keeps saying, ‘abort, abort, abort!’”

Read More: Months Before Triggering Stephen Curry’s Mom and Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley’s Confession Could Make Him a Hypocrite

Charles’ prime-time show will feature CBS morning host Gayle King. The show, set to debut this fall with a Wednesday night time slot has Barkley all excited. Sobering up from his earlier comments, Charles shared his real feelings about the show. “No, you know what? I’m looking forward to it… Gayle is awesome.” 

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Perhaps King Charles can save Licht’s legacy. We’re hoping we have some quality (k)nights to spend.