CNN’s “King Charles,” the new weekly show hosted by Gayle King and Charles Barkley, flopped in its debut broadcast, ranking among the lowest-rated CNN primetime show premieres over the past decade.
via: Radar Online
The show’s premiere garnered fewer than 500,000 viewers, the smallest audience of any new CNN show this year.
CNN had bet on the bizarre combo’s current events talk show to help raise ratings, but insiders claim execs are already convinced King and the former NBA star are a bad match — even though the CBS Mornings host, 68, and former NBA champ, 60, have been friendly for years.
“Gayle enjoys being breezy and conversational but she still considers herself a serious journalist,” an insider told the National Enquirer. “Meanwhile, Charles has a style he’s honed as a TV sports commentator — boastful, outrageous and always with an opinion, even if it isn’t factual and he knows little to nothing about the topic!”
Another source allegedly said King tried to tame Barkley’s bite during test runs for the show but hit a roadblock.
“Gayle tells Charles he should really study up on serious topics they discuss on their King Charles show and really pore over the producer’s notes to bone up on a subject,” spilled the source. “But Charles is like, ‘I gotta be me!'”
“CNN wants this show to be something everyone talks about, but Gayle doesn’t want it to be at the expense of her reputation.” the insider crowed.
RadarOnline.com has reached out King and Barkley’s reps for comment.
The show’s disastrous premiere followed reports that King had strict instructions for Barkley to not blab about their behind-the-scenes business before the primetime talk show’s premiere.
Back in September, insiders told the National Enquirer that while King was “all revved up and excited” for the show’s launch, “there’s still some apprehension because she knows how Charles loves to gab and name-drop about his famous friends.”
With so much riding on the success of the show, sources claimed King was worried Barkley’s loose lips would sink their ship before it had a chance to test the rating waters.
“He’s been doing it for years, bragging about his associations with Michael Jordan and others. It may seem harmless enough on the surface — but for Gayle, it’s a time bomb waiting to happen!” a tipster said of Barkley’s braggadocios tendencies.
