Gayle King Says Oprah Refused to Shut Down Rumors They Were ‘Secretly Gay’ On Air: ‘It Used to Really Bother Me’

Gayle King is once again speaking out about the long-standing rumor that she was dating Oprah Winfrey, and explaining why the iconic host refused to publicly shut it down on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Speaking with Alex Cooper on her viral “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the CBS Mornings co-host was asked how she used to “handle” rumors that she was secretly dating Winfrey: “It used to really bother me. I was recently divorced and the National Enquirer did a story about [how] that’s the reason for the divorce, because they’re secretly gay.”

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She continued, “Number one, if we were gay, we would tell you, because believe me, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just, I prefer a man. I prefer a man.”

King recalls urging Winfrey to say something on her talk show, “because it’s hard enough for me to get a date on a Saturday night and now people think I’m a lesbian, you’ve gotta say something.” Winfrey’s response was to “just leave it be.”

Although Winfrey’s handling of the situation used to bother King, especially because Winfrey has been married since 1986, King says she doesn’t care anymore: “I’ve now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me. Because, you know, when you go on social media, it is an accelerator on hate.”

Winfrey previously addressed the rumor during a 2024 episode of “Moments That Make Us,” saying, “Maybe people aren’t accustomed to seeing women with this kind of truth bond. The reason why I think our friendship has worked is because Gayle is happier, not happy, for me in any kind of success or victory or challenge I get through than I am for myself. And I feel as happy as she does — I can’t be happier than, cannot surpass Gayle.”

During King’s “Call Her Daddy” conversation, which went on for over an hour, she also addressed her 1993 divorce from attorney William Bumpus and how she has navigated sexism and racism in the industry.

Watch King’s full interview with Cooper below.