Gayle King is so good at her job that she’s got Charles Barkley bashful on live TV. She effectively spun the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance saga on to her co-host’s past romantic escapades. If you know, Maureen Blumhardt’s husband had a rumored tryst with the iconic songstress of his prime era. King just had to touch that nerve to make Barkley shy.

Where did Barkley’s “high-profile” romance rumors come from? That’s a saga the Round Mound of Rebound would rather forget.

Charles Barkley’s co-host pokes the Madge nerve

Before it was the new queen of pop and a footballer, the original Queen of Pop was connected to one superstar athlete. It’s not Madonna and Dennis Rodman. It’s the whirlwind romance rumors that paired Charles Barkley in his peak NBA era with Madonna.

]Barkley was gushing about the rumored Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce pairing when his co-host, Gayle King brought up his past. “Charles, I’m curious about dating high-profile people.” She’d go on to put Barkley on the spot. “‘Cause it was reported back in the day that you dated a high-profile singer.” Subtle, Gayle.

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Barkley was flustered and she teased him over his mumbling. (Bet he’s missing Shaq now.) He did try to play it cool and answer her question. “Nerve-wracking, you’re never getting the peace and quiet, you have to worry about the paparazzi all the time and it just sucks.” Is he speaking from experience?

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King prodded for the singer’s name he was linked to. It prompted a bashful, “Stop it, Gayle,” from Chuck. He melted her with a plea, “I love you, Gayle. Don’t fight on our first night.” 

King did move on. But would his supposed romance with Madonna be cause for a fight? Back in the ’90s, it was thought so.

Charles Barkley’s Madonna rumors

The Philadelphia 76ers legend was already famous when he married Maureen Blumhardt in 1989. However, he would be romantically linked to several famous women through their early marriage.

Infidelity rumors surrounding Chuck were at their peak in 1993. Barkley and Madonna were often spotted at games with other famous friends. As he said, paparazzi didn’t give them peace and quiet and those group hangouts sparked romance rumors between them.

Madonna even joked that she wanted a family with Barkley. He, however, denied all those rumors and often mentioned how nose parkers harassed his wife and in-laws because of the baseless speculation. Chuck told media outlets in 1993 that people would play Madonna’s song wherever Maureen went.

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Madonna would imply she had a falling out with Barkley in later years while Chuck would say he only had one encounter with her. Alleged sources close to them would fuel affair rumors. Whoever’s account is true, Barkley is right that there’s no privacy in high-profile romances.