"Shut The Hell Up!": Charles Barkley Just Slammed Colin Cowherd's Theory On Limited Airtime For "Inside The NBA"

Hoops fans have been wondering about the lack of “Inside the NBA” on their TV screens this season. Though ESPN had already rolled out the limited schedule of the Emmy Award-winning program at the start of the 2025–26 campaign, the internet is still buzzing about not getting enough EJ, Kenny, Charles, and Shaq on a consistent basis.

As if to fan the flames of speculation, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd threw out a theory behind the limited schedule of the “Inside” crew. “I’m just saying conjecture, but I know there were people upstairs in the NBA office who didn’t like how they lampooned the league and some of the players,” Cowherd said on “The Herd” last week.

This theory did not sit well with Charles Barkley, who returned fire when “Inside” went back on the air this past weekend. 

“Can I look at this camera right here? ” Barkley said with dramatic flair. “There are some fools at home…well, on the internet, but they’re at home now…saying that we were talking bad about the players, so they made us work less. Shut the fu…hell up!”

As Shaq enjoyed a full-belly laugh, the Chuckster continued. “These guys are like, they’re gonna put them on the shelf because they don’t want them on TV. Man, y’all need to shut the hell up. This was already planned months and months ago. All I said was, I would have liked to work more.”

Barkley, whose TV career has lasted much longer than his well-decorated stint as an NBA player, is referring to comments he made on the “Dan Le Batard Show” in which he expressed his regret about doing fewer episodes of “Inside.” Though Barkley does sound grateful for the opportunity to continue the rich legacy of “Inside,” Cowherd’s theory gives fans some food for thought as they wonder why the show’s schedule was limited in the first place.

It’s a safe bet, though, that Barkley and his “Inside” friends won’t rein in their brand of humor or their brutally honest analysis as the season progresses. In other words, when it comes to doing “Inside” the way it’s been done for decades, Barkley will most certainly refuse to shut the hell up.