CNN anchor Gayle King was forced to initiate damage control mode after her co-host and NBA legend Charles Barkley made a faux pas.
Mediaite's Charlie Nash noted that the dust-up began on Saturday's edition of “King Charles” when King played a clip of Donald Trump boasting about Black people wearing Trump mugshot t-shirts. “When you heard that, what did you think?,” she asked the hall of famer:
Barkley let out a big sigh, before replying, “First of all, I'm just going to say this, if I see a Black person walking around with Trump mugshot I'm gonna punch him in the face.”
“Charles. Charles, you really can't say that 'cause, A. you don't mean that,” King quickly interjected.
“Oh, I mean that sincerely,” the Round Mound of Rebound fired back.
“And then you will be arrested for assault, and then what?” King asked, reminiscent of a bewildered parent.
“I'm gonna bail myself out and go celebrate,” Barkley replied.
After the audience laughed, King told them not to encourage her co-host.
Barkley later clarified that if he were present for Trump's comments, he would have left.
“That was an insult to all Black people,” he said. “To compare Black history, where we've been discriminated against, to his plight– Well, first of all, he's a billionaire, and they are prosecuting him for stuff he did wrong.”
King noted, “It's still in the court system, Charles; we have to wait.”
“Well, some of the stuff is true,” Barkley concluded. “They did storm the Capitol. They did say that the election was stolen.”
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