CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King noted the irony that of the show's hosts, only the White host took off Juneteenth - the holiday celebrating the emancipation of slaves. Celebrations of Juneteenth date back to the 19th century, but only in 2021 did Congress make it a federal holiday.
Co-host Tony Dokoupil was absent from the table on Monday morning. King, as well as co-hosts Nate Burleson and Vladimir Duthiers - all of whom are Black - greeted viewers.
"Happy Juneteenth to you," King said. "Is it lost on anybody that the only White guy at the table's off today to celebrate Juneteenth and we're still here? Glad to be here."
Burleson and Duthiers burst out laughing.
"We are glad to be here," Duthiers told viewers.
"I hope Tony's enjoying his Juneteenth holiday," King said. "Welcome to CBS Mornings."
The hosts assured Dokoupil that they still love him.
In addition to her CBS hosting duties, King will co-host a weekly show with Charles Barkley on CNN as the cable network tries to shake up its programming in an effort to boost ratings. King's sense of humor could make for a good pairing with the gregarious and funny Barkley.
"I'm looking forward to it," Barkley said last week about the upcoming show. "Gayle is awesome."
The NBA Hall of Famer acknowledged CNN's woes.
"Apparently, with this new talk show, I'm jumping on the Titanic," Barkley joked. "Everybody keeps saying, 'Abort, abort, abort.'"
Watch above via CBS.