Cancel culture has come after many high-profile people who have done or said bad things in the past. But despite angering the mob here and there and sharing non-politically correct opinions, Charles Barkley has kept his job at TNT.
Why? Largely because Barkley is an irreplaceable personality who combines humor, edginess and fearlessness unlike anyone else in sports broadcasting. But also because Barkley knows what to do and what not to do.
Chuck and his “The Steam Room” co-host Ernie Johnson were talking during a recent episode of the show about social media and cancellations. Barkley said that social media and email stuff has “reared its ugly head” again (around 38:30 in the episode).
Barkley then shared his secrets.
The way Barkley avoids problems is he doesn’t put things in writing. Instead, he talks behind peoples’ backs the old-fashioned way!
“To all you idiots, fools, and jackasses out there, it’s alright to talk bad about people. We all do it. But we don’t leave a paper trail. I talk bad about people the old-fashioned way – behind their back. I don’t put it in writing,” Barkley said.
Chuck said that when he has something bad to say about his “Inside the NBA” co-hosts, he does it while enjoying beers with some friends.
The people with impossible standards will say nobody should ever say anything bad about anyone ever. Those expectations are completely unrealistic. Instead, Chuck believes the key is not getting caught by not having a paper trail. It’s that easy!
It also helps that Barkley refuses to be on Twitter and that he says he doesn’t even know how to initiate an email.
Though he has avoided cancellation, Barkley has said recently that cancel culture has negatively affected his TV show.
Photo: Norm Duve American Century Championship
