Outspoken host of TNT's Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, criticized the network for taking innocent jokes too seriously during an interview on 106.7 The Fan. The former NBA player and TNT contributor has never been scared to speak his mind and often comes under fire for his opposing opinions, though now his words have caused workplace tension.
As Barkley states, he is now prohibited from speaking about the city of San Antonio on set after he made remarks about the weight of the women in the city.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for TNT
In response to the silencing, Barkley is coming after the cancel culture-esque approach of the network. Clearly angry and frustrated, Barkley blasted the current media climate as boring and relishes in the fact that he'll retire from media when he turns 60 in two years: "You can't even have fun nowadays without these jackasses trying to get you canceled and things like that," he vents, speaking with The Fan. "And then they can kiss my ass."
"First of all, I didn't call anybody personally fat in San Antonio, I was just joking around," Barkley said in his defense. He continues to describe his surprise when the network confronted him, as it's not the first time the basketball legend has made such jokes: "we've been having fun with this for probably 10, 15 years!" He maintains that the people of San Antonio appreciated the running joke, even claiming that they "made t-shirts."
Barkley also states that articles written about his comments ultimately led to TNT taking action. Do you think Barkley has a strong case against TNT or did the network do the right thing? Let us know and check out the clip below.
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