Gayle King Says Oprah Winfrey Lesbian Rumors 'Used to Really Bother Me'

Julia MooreWed, May 27, 2026 at 3:15 PM UTC

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Gayle King on 'Call Her Daddy'; Oprah Winfrey
Credit: Call Her Daddy/Youtube -

Gayle King addressed the longtime speculation about her and friend Oprah Winfrey being romantically involved on an episode of Call Her Daddy

King admitted that the rumors "used to really bother me" and shared why that's no longer the case

"I've now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me," King said

There are some rumors that no longer bother Gayle King.

The veteran journalist, 71, appeared on the Wednesday, May 27 episode of Call Her Daddy and addressed the persistent rumors that her relationship with Oprah Winfrey is not simply platonic. Host Alex Cooper asked King, "Tell me how that feels when you guys have had to handle those headlines, handle those rumors, handle that speculation."

"It used to really bother me," King admitted. "I was recently divorced, and there was — The National Enquirer did a story about, that's the reason for the divorce, because they're secretly gay. 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."

As both King and Winfrey, 72, have previously said, the CBS Mornings host reiterated that if they were gay and romantically involved, "We would tell you."

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Gayle King on 'Call Her Daddy'
Credit: Call Her Daddy/Youtube

King revealed that she used to ask Winfrey to shut the rumors down on her show. She would tell her, "You've got to say something on your 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 got to say something."

Winfrey insisted that they "leave it alone" rather than address it, which King felt was "fine for you to say, you have somebody. I don't.”

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"So it used to really bother me. And now, even today, there's still people that say, 'Well, you know, the truth is...' I don't care," she said. "I've now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me."

Instead, King is focused on making sure "I feel good about what I'm doing, the people I respect and trust are OK with it — who will say, 'Well, Mom, maybe you shouldn't have done that,' or somebody whose opinion I value," she said. "Otherwise, you'll drive yourself nuts. So now I really don't care."

Winfrey and King's friendship began nearly 50 years ago, when they were both working at WJZ-TV in Baltimore. Winfrey, who was 22, offered for then-21-year-old King to crash at her apartment as a snowstorm was approaching.

"We ended up talking all night long," Winfrey told PEOPLE. "We've literally been friends ever since."

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King attend the 66th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Their friendship has become something of a phenomenon. "I always get, 'This is my Oprah.' It's one of the biggest compliments," King told PEOPLE.

"And I always get, 'This is my Gayle,'" Winfrey said. "I understand what that means: long-term, standing in the gap, no matter what I'm here for you."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”