- Gayle King is CBS Mornings co-host.
- She’s known for being a super close friend to talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.
- Gayle has been married once, to William Bumpus.
- The former couple share two children.
Gayle King, 68, rose to fame as a co-anchor on CBS Mornings, but she’s also well known as Oprah Winfrey‘s BFF, a friendship that has spanned over nearly 50 years. “People will find this hard to believe, but we’ve never had a serious argument,” Oprah once told The Independent. “It certainly is a beautiful friendship.” But beyond the high-profile relationship, Gayle has had a private family life that fans know little about.
She was married to ex-husband William Bumpus. for 11 years, between the 1980s and 1990s — and they share two children together from the union. Here’s what to know about Gayle’s marriage to William.
They married in 1982.
Gayle and William, an attorney, married back in 1982. Tellingly, Oprah once shared why she didn’t think the marriage would ultimately last. “It didn’t feel joyful,” the TV mogul said in a 2006 interview with her O, The Oprah Magazine. “You know how you go to weddings and they’re full of joy? There are some weddings you go to and you’re just filled with all this hope for the couple. And you feel that there’s something special going on. I didn’t feel that at yours. It just felt kind of pitiful.”
Oprah didn’t want to tell her how she felt about it at the time. In the joint interview, Gayle told her she “wouldn’t have believed” her anyway.
They welcomed two children.
During the course of the marriage, Gayle and William welcomed children into their family — daughter Kirby, born in May 1986, and son William Bumpus Jr., born in April 1987. Both are now grown, and Kirby made the former couple grandparents when she welcomed son, Luca with her husband Virgil Miller in Sept. 2021.
Gayle & William allegedly dealt with infidelity.
In August of 2016, Gayle opened up during a Vanity Fair interview about alleged infidelity that eroded the marriage. When asked to name the person she “despises” most, she replied, ” ‘Despise’ is a strong word. I’m not a huge fan of the woman I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 P.M. – but I don’t remember the details,” she quipped.
In 2006, she again shared her thoughts on the alleged incident, this time with Will Smith during his appearance on her XM Satellite radio show. “I was married to a cheater,” she reportedly said at the time. “I went to marital counseling. I have been divorced since 1993, so I’m all healed and everything. I have worked it out. I’m not bitter. I’m OK. I’m really OK.”
William, for his part, has apologized. In 2016, on the heels of her VF comments, he released a statement addressing the matter. “I have been haunted with this life altering choice,” the statement to Entertainment Tonight read. “Though I have dealt with this privately, 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.
He also went on to lavish praise on his ex wife. “Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother and a fantastic co-parent,” the statement continued. “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 Gayle’s continued phenomenal success and friendship!”
They divorced in 1993 over the matter.