Gayle King says past romance rumors with Oprah caused rift

Gayle King has revealed that persistent rumors about a secret romantic relationship with her longtime friend Oprah Winfrey once caused a significant rift between them, prompting King to repeatedly ask Winfrey to publicly deny the speculation. King, the 71-year-old co-host of CBS Mornings, discussed the decades-old gossip during a recent podcast appearance.

King said the rumors intensified after her 1993 divorce from William Bumpus, when a tabloid published a story suggesting the split was due to the two women being secretly gay. She expressed that the speculation used to deeply bother her, particularly as she re-entered the dating scene. King recalled telling Winfrey that she needed to address the rumors on her talk show, stating it was hard enough for her to get a date without people thinking she was a lesbian.

Winfrey, however, consistently declined to publicly engage with the rumors, advising they should just leave it alone. King remembered responding that it was easy for Winfrey to say, as she was in a long-term relationship with Stedman Graham, while King was single. Winfrey and Graham have been together since 1986.

King emphasized that if the rumors were true, they would...