Gayle King is opening up about one of the longest-running rumors surrounding her friendship with Oprah Winfrey, revealing that years of speculation once affected her far more than many people realized. 
During a candid appearance on Alex Cooper’s popular podcast Call Her Daddy, King spoke openly about the persistent claims that she and Winfrey have secretly been in a romantic relationship.
Looking back, the veteran broadcaster admitted that the rumors were difficult to ignore, especially during a challenging period in her personal life.
“It used to really bother me,” King explained.
She recalled how the speculation intensified after her divorce, when tabloid reports suggested there was a hidden reason behind the end of her marriage.
“I was recently divorced and the National Enquirer did a story about that’s the reason for the divorce because they’re secretly gay,” she said.
King made it clear that the rumors were untrue and stressed that there would be nothing wrong if they were. 
“Number one, if we were gay, we would tell you because believe me, there’s nothing wrong with it,” she said. “It’s just I prefer a man. I prefer a man.”
The longtime television personality admitted that at one point she became so frustrated with the ongoing speculation that she asked Winfrey to publicly address the rumors. 
According to King, she urged her best friend to use her television platform to set the record straight.
“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,” King recalled telling her.
But Oprah reportedly had a very different view.
Rather than responding publicly, Winfrey believed the rumors should simply be ignored.
“No, we should just leave it be,” King said Oprah told her.
The disagreement led to a back-and-forth conversation between the two friends, with King arguing that the speculation affected her life differently than it affected Oprah’s.
“Well, that’s fine for you to say. You have somebody. I don’t,” King remembered responding.
Over time, however, her perspective changed.
Now, she says she has reached a point where the opinions of strangers no longer carry the same weight they once did.
“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 explained.
King added that years of public scrutiny and the rise of social media taught her an important lesson about focusing on what truly matters.
“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.”
Instead, she chooses to place greater importance on the opinions of people she knows and trusts.
“As long as I feel good about what I’m doing, the people I respect and trust are OK with it. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself nuts. So now I really don’t care.”
Although she generally avoids responding to rumors, King admitted there are occasions when she feels compelled to share her side of a story.
When public discussion becomes overwhelming, she sometimes wants to make her position clear and ensure her perspective is part of the conversation.
“But, most of the time I’m just not going to,” she said.
At the same time, she refuses to behave as though she has something to hide.
King explained that she does not want to avoid photographers or sneak away through back entrances simply because rumors are circulating.
“I don’t want to look like I’m running from something when I know I haven’t done anything wrong,” she said.
The friendship between King and Winfrey spans nearly five decades. The pair first met while working at the same local television station in Baltimore during the early stages of their broadcasting careers.
Since then, they have remained one of the entertainment world’s most enduring and closely watched friendships.
King was married to attorney William Bumpus from 1982 until their divorce following his affair. Meanwhile, Winfrey has been in a long-term relationship with businessman Stedman Graham since the 1980s.
Despite decades of rumors and public fascination, both women have consistently maintained that their relationship is exactly what they have always said it is: a close and lasting friendship built on trust, loyalty and nearly 50 years of shared history.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/gayle-king-addresses-decades-old-rumors-relationship-oprah-winfrey
