Cancellation of the ‘King Charles’ show
CNN’s King Charles showcased Gayle King and Charles Barkley discussing current events. Only weeks ago, I flagged it as the most cringe-inducing talk show since Fox’s The Magic Hour with Ervin “Magic” Johnson.
In fact, the ratings for King Charles were anemic from the first episode. Moreover, it remained on life support until CNN finally pulled the plug last week.
The CNN weekly prime time talk show co-hosted by basketball loudmouth Charles Barkley and CBS morning star Gayle King has ended a six-month run that failed to produce ratings.
‘King Charles’ got the axe after just half a year on the air. The weekly call-in show which aired at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday nights failed to generate more viewers than reruns of the sitcom “Friends” and episodes of “South Park.”
(The New York Post, April 15, 2024)
This should have come as no surprise. The only consolation for King Charles is that it lasted six months, whereas The Magic Hour lasted only six weeks.
No Black hosts; this is prime time
This cancellation underscores the grim track record of Blacks hosting prime-time talk shows nobody wants to watch. Trevor Noah’s stint on The Daily Show was a rare success. Even Arsenio Hall got canceled after one season when he tried to replicate the success of his syndicated show.
Magic infamously played the race card. He complained that his prime-time show failed because agents and managers kept their stars off Black shows.
But that made as much sense as Donald Trump playing the victim card. He’s complaining that he’s facing four criminal trials because Democrats don’t want him to run for president.
It was hardly surprising that the blustering Barkley thought he could host a show talking about things he knew nothing about. But King had an enviable reputation for being a consummate professional.
So, it’s baffling that King risked her reputation by teaming up with Barkley. You’d think her BFF Oprah would have prevailed upon Gayle to spare herself this all-too-foreseeable embarrassment.
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