Gayle King Desperate to Lock Down Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as First Guests on CNN Show
Gayle King has been privately working overtime on locking down Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as the first guests on her upcoming CNN show, RadarOnline.com has learned.
“Gayle is buttering up Harry and Meghan with hopes they’ll get her new show off to a running start,” said a source. Gayle, 68, and pro basketball legend Charles Barkley, 60, inked big contracts with the cable news network to host the weekly prime-time show King Charles, but the insider said she’s been courting the Sussexes ever since their explosive 2021 bridge-burning interview branding the royals abusive racists.
Sources said Gayle is desperate for the new show to get off to a blockbuster start since her main gig, CBS Mornings, continues to lag far behind rivals Good Morning and Today in the ratings.
“Gayle has privately promoted her reputation of landing top TV interviews despite CBS Mornings’ poor performance,” said the insider. “So she needs to bag a big get on the new show to back up her bluster.”
Recently, Gayle made a point of saying the royal runaways are “in a really good place” and made the “best choice” when Meghan skipped King Charles’ coronation and stayed behind in California.
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“Gayle knows they’re alienating themselves even further from the royal family but she’s openly supporting them to gain their favor,” said a source. “She wants the bang the Sussexes can provide —no matter the cost to them!”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, CNN CEO Chris Licht has a lot riding on King Charles. Sources said he hopes the show will save the ratings-starved network that recently axed Don Lemon.
As we first reported, Gayle signed a $12 million per year contract with CNN. The deal has infuriated employees at the network, according to sources.
“Everyone has been told there’s no money, yet they’re managing to scrape up the cash to pay Gayle King,” said a source. “It’s incredibly tone-deaf, as well as being rude to the hard-working people who’ve been toiling here for years!"
CNN CEO Chris Licht