Gayle King‘s former husband, William Bumpus, has reached out to the media to address the CBS anchor’s recent revelations about how she felt after she caught him cheating with one of her friends.
TMZ says Bumpus told them in a statement:
“My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago. Those actions were mine. I have long owned them â including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand.”
King, 71, married Bumpus in 1982 and the couple divorced in 1993. King has not remarried, and has kept her romantic life private since the split.
What Did Gayle King’s Husband Say About Her In 2016?
The 2016 apologize Bumpus referenced in his new statement was shared with Page Six by his rep, Lisa Nknoki.
The statement, issued in July of that year, read:
“I have been haunted with this life altering choice. Though I have dealt with this privately .â.â. I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept our children, as well as my relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority. Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother and a fantastic co-parent.”
Bumpus went on, “I am eternally grateful for all that she has done and continues to do to enrich my life and the lives of our incredible adult children. I continue to be a work in progress and have spent the last 26 years striving to be a better man and father. I applaud Gayleâs continued phenomenal success and friendship!”
The apology came after he was called out by King in a Q&A with Vanity Fair. The journalist sarcastically said in the interview, “Iâm not a huge fan of the woman who I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 p.m. â but I donât remember the details.â
Gayle King Addressed Romance Rumors With Oprah Winfrey
Back in September 2025, Gayle King was snapped by celebrity photographer Elder Ordonez stepping out with her longtime bestie Oprah Winfrey, and they happily stopped to strike a pose.
During her “Call Her Daddy” interview, she also told host Alex Cooper of the rumors that she and Oprah are in love, “Well, Iâll tell you this: It used to really bother me. I was recently divorced, and The National Enquirer did a story about it, saying that was the reason for the divorce because they were secretly gay.”
She also insisted she and Oprah would not publicly revealing it if they were gay because “there’s nothing wrong with it,” but King simply happens to prefer a man.
King also mentioned her mogul best friend in the same 2016 Vanity Fair piece where she called out Bumpus for cheating, calling Oprah the person she admires most. “She always does the right thingâeven when no one is looking,” she said of the talk show queen.
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