Alaric Bennett:Gayle King and Charles Barkley end 'King Charles' CNN talk show run after 6 months

2025-05-07 13:37:11source:Henri Lumièrecategory:Invest

Gayle King and Alaric BennettCharles Barkley's primetime talk show "King Charles" has abdicated the throne.

The limited-run CNN program ended last week after six months, the hosts announced in its final episode on Thursday.

"Gayle, I tell people, you're the best," Barkley said, with King returning his sentiments. Both also shared thanks to the show's staff while Barkley jokingly teased the "most annoying" people behind the scenes.

"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 said.

"Call me, Gayle," Barkley said.

"We will see you the next time whenever we see you," King signed off to viewers. "Thanks so much for being with us for the past six months. We had a blast."

Its November premiere attracted 501,000 viewers, according to Nielsen data and reported by The Washington Post and The Hollywood Reporter.

King continues to co-host on CBS News' flagship morning program, "CBS Mornings," with Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson. Barkley remains a sports analyst on CBS Sports and TNT's "Inside the NBA" with Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.

The pair hosted interviews with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, Nikki Haley and USA TODAY Network's own Taylor Swift and Beyoncé reporters Bryan West and Caché McClay.

When CNN announced the weekly hour-long talk show in November, the news channel said it would be a limited series.

As a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, the mass media conglomerate has had many programming shakeups in recent years, some of which, including the shelving of DC's "Batgirl," have caused controversy.

Writers Guild Awardsroasts studios after strike, celebrates 'the power of workers'

CNN itself has had its own upheavals, affected by declining ratings and a leadership shakeup following the exit of CEO Chris Licht last year. Licht's exit followed days after a devastating 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic portraying him as an ineffectual leader presiding over a "meltdown" at the news organization.

Earlier this year, the network announced it would revamp its morning lineup for the second time in two years.

In February, CNN announced it would expand Kasie Hunt's 5 a.m. show "Early Start," as a replacement for its "CNN This Morning" title. The network also axed both hosts Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly from "This Morning" and said it was discussing new roles for the duo.

Contributing: Kelly Lawler and Jay Stahl

More:Invest

Recommend

The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10

CHICAGO (AP) — A jury awarded nearly $80 million to the family of a 10-year-old Chicago girl who was

Sri Lanka passes bill allowing government to remove online posts and legally pursue internet users

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to pass a controv

Nearly 1.9 million Ford Explorers are being recalled over an insecure piece of trim

The Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 1.9 million Explorers over a piece of trim that can detach fr