Kirby Bumpus is married! The daughter of Gayle King tied the knot with fiancé Virgil Miller in December 2020, saying “I do” at Oprah Winfrey’s Santa Barbara home. It was a small and private affair, with a guest list that included Oprah, Steadman Graham, and the mother of the bride. Gayle’s son, Will Bumpus Jr., officiated. Gayle, 66, has been sitting on this good news for months – she respected her daughter’s wishes to tell only family and close friends – but now, she’s telling the world. The Oprah Magazine editor at large shared some details about the ceremony with the publication, saying that “it wasn’t the wedding we planned, but it was absolutely perfect.”
The wedding was initially disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with travel restrictions, social distancing, and quarantine protocols wreaking havoc on Kirby and Gayle’s plans. They found their “Plan B” in the form of Kirby’s godmother, Oprah, who hosted the ceremony. It also worked out that photographer Joe Pugliese was on hand to capture Kirby’s special day. “Joe doesn’t normally do weddings,” Gayle told Oprah Magazine, “but Oprah just so happened to be shooting something on her property that got canceled at the last minute, so we lucked out and had a professional photographer who followed all pandemic protocol.”
“I’m so glad we have those memories, because the photos are stunning,” added Gayle. She also shared that Kirby and Virgil had to adapt to the new normal of COVID-19. Kirby had her dress fitting via Zoom with Oprah, Gayle, and her best friend. On the day of the wedding, Gayle – who lives on the East Coast, while Kirby and Virgil live on the West – couldn’t go into the house to help her daughter get ready, which she admits was “really tough.” After the wedding, “there was socially distant hors d’oeuvres and cake” and “socially distant dancing.”
Plus, Wil wasn’t originally picked to officiate, but since he had a license after conducting a friend’s wedding, it just seemed the right way to go. “Nobody knows Kirby the way her brother does, so for him to do the ceremony felt meant to be,” Gayle told Oprah Magazine. “My son, Will, says, ‘We call ourselves a tripod, and that day with Virgil, we became a perfect square,’” adds Gayle. “Kirby really is so happy, and nothing beats when your children are happy.”