Charles Barkley Pokes Fun at Troubled CNN Just Months Before He Launches His Own Show on the Network

Is Charles Barkley biting the hand that feeds?

Earlier this year, it was announced that the retired NBA superstar will premiere his show King Charles on CNN. But during his guest appearance on NHL on TNT Face Off over this past weekend, he took a jab at his soon-to-be new network amidst their company's shake-ups.

"Apparently with this new talk show, I’m jumping on the Titanic," he joked, making his colleagues laugh. "Everybody keeps saying, 'Abort, abort, abort!'"

Barkley was obviously just having a little fun, clarifying, "No, I’m looking forward to it." He also called Gayle King, who will be featured on his show, "awesome."

News about Barkley and King's series was announced in April.

"I want the show to be nonpolitical. You know Gayle is going to be a straight shooter," the athlete said at the time. "I’m going to be a straight shooter. I know she’s going to be fair and honest and you know I’m going to do the same thing."

"I think that decorum and courtesy and kindness always work," explained King. "But everybody I know has an opinion on something. We just need to figure out a way to have a good conversation without tearing each other down. And I think we can do that."

The big reveal occurred before CNN became a hot topic thanks to Don Lemon, who was let go from his longtime position after making misogynistic remarks about Nikki Haley.

The brand faced even more scrutiny after allowing Donald Trump to do a town hall interview, and just weeks after that, CEO Chris Licht abruptly stepped down after holding the gig for just 13 months.

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"This needs to be a time of reflection for Chris," one alleged coworker of Licht's told an outlet. "He has to come to terms with the fact that he's not the smartest guy in the room like he thinks he is."

"To be an effective leader, you need to be hands on and most importantly you can't just keep your own counsel. He's a show runner, a solid executive producer, but he's not a CEO or Chairman," the source explained. "He needs to take a look at the people he surrounds himself with. His core team did not serve him well."

Mediaite reported on Barkleys' comments.