*Gayle King was honored with the Journalist Icon Award at TheGrio’s Washington D.C. Gala on Saturday, and during her acceptance speech she made clear she has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“I stand before you at 68-years-old. Walter Cronkite had to retire from CBS at 65… He didn’t have a choice,” said King to the gathered audience at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Page Six reports.
She added: “I’m not even kind of thinking about retiring. Not even kind of! I’m looking for more work.”
King is set to host a new CNN show with Charles Barkley in addition to co-hosting “CBS This Morning” and a SiriusXM radio show.
As EUR previously reported, King and Barkley’s new CNN primetime show is titled “King Charles.” CNN bossman Chris Licht told staffers in a memo that the show will be “an exciting new way we are delivering culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives to our audience, from two incredibly dynamic personalities.”
When King and Barkley appeared together on TNT to announce the new program, King said they will talk about politics and Barkley noted, “But we don’t want to say we are a liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat. That is one of the things that has already ruined television in general. She is going to be a straight shooter, and you know I am going to be a straight shooter.”
He added: “All I want is people, even if I disagree with them, to be honest with me. I don’t want them saying things to get clickbait. That is one of the things that is what drives me crazy about people in our profession right now.”
During TheGrio’s Washington D.C. Gala, media mogul Byron Allen, CEO of Allen Entertainment Group, the parent company of theGrio, said King has “lifted CBS mornings.”
“They weren’t working out well. The show was dying in the morning. You brought it life and now CNN,” which is also struggling, he said.
READ MORE: Gayle King and Charles Barkley Hook Up for New CNN Weekly Show ‘King Charles’ | WATCH
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