Charles Barkley took a break from criticizing ESPN during his NCAA Tournament coverage on CBS to share his thoughts on Fox News. While filling out his bracket at halftime of Auburn’s matchup with Alabama State, he picked his alma mater to be upset by Florida, surprising Ernie Johnson, Clark Kellogg, and Kenny Smith in the studio.
“We’re supposed to be unbiased. What are we, Fox News?! What are we Fox News in here now? This ain’t Fox News, we don’t have to repeat everything the idiots say every day.” – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/6P9j1gwoqw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025
After being questioned for picking against Auburn, Barkley fired back, “We’re supposed to be unbiased. What are we, Fox News?! This ain’t Fox News, we don’t have to repeat everything the idiots say every day.” ESPN is likely bracing for more criticism from Barkley during the tournament, although this unexpected jab at Fox News may not have been in their plans.
No matter your views on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Newsmax, or NewsNation, it’s evident that every cable news outlet carries a degree of bias. As Bob Costas noted in his 2023 appearance on Club Random with Bill Maher, “If you were someone from outer space and watched CNN for a week and Fox for a week, you’d have a much better understanding of what was happening in the world from CNN.”
In 2023, Fox News reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems regarding a defamation lawsuit that accused the network of “recklessly disregarding the truth” to support 2020 election conspiracy theories. Barkley, who works for TNT Sports—a sister network of CNN under Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)—had previously launched a weekly primetime show on CNN with Gayle King, but it was canceled last year.
Despite his ties to CNN, Barkley isn’t one to hold back when criticizing his WBD bosses, especially regarding how they handled the cancellation of his cable news show. This indicates that, regardless of any biases, Barkley is voicing his true feelings about Fox News.
