Charles Barkley was not going to let Kenny Smith pull a fast one on him.

Smith arrived late to TNT’s halftime show during the game between the Nuggets and the Suns on Thursday night, and tried to explain away his absence that he was being extra diligent on the preparation for the panel.

“I’m in the film room upstairs,” Smith laughed.

Barkley did not believe him.

“Is that what they call it now? Did you at least light a match?” Barkley asked, implying that his colleague was late to the set because he was in the bathroom.

Barkley has been making plenty of headlines of late.

During his studio role on the NCAA Tournament last month, he eviscerated Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, who is set to become the new president of the NCAA, for talking about how regulatory “protections” would need to be enacted for Name, Image and Likeness endorsements for college athletes.

“Did he say we’re going to ask the politicians to help us?” Barkley asked in disbelief.

“See, that pisses me off already. Our politicians are awful people.”

There has been percolating news that Barkley could join a new CNN show alongside Gayle King.

“I just want to help the company because obviously it is a s–t show right now,” Barkley told The Post’s Andrew Marchand in February. “Anything I can do to help.”

Contrary to initial reports, Barkley would be on the show one day a week as opposed to nightly.

He became close with King through their mutual friendship with Oprah Winfrey.

“It would be an honor and a privilege to work with Gayle,” Barkley said.