Key Takeaways
- Gayle King said she and William Bumpus remain in a “really good place” following his recent public apology.
- Bumpus released a new statement after King discussed his decades-old infidelity on “Call Her Daddy.”
- King shared that hearing from other women about their experiences has stood out to her amid the renewed attention.
Gayle King and her ex-husband, William Bumpus, are still in a “really good place,” despite what some people may assume. On Thursday (May 28), during a run-in with TMZ in New York City, the "CBS Mornings" co-host admitted she was genuinely surprised by his recent apology for cheating on her with one of her friends nearly 40 years ago.
"I appreciate what he had to say," King told the outlet. "Listen, that was a very painful time, but people need to understand that anybody who’s been through it knows how painful it is.” She continued, “I also know that you can go through and get through it on the other side."
The journalist went on to explain that the reason she felt comfortable discussing the incident on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast in the first place was that she and Bumpus have “both healed” and “moved on.” She added, “I’m in a really great place and so is he, but what has really got to me is the reaction from other women. That’s the thing that has touched me more than anything.”
As for anyone hoping to shoot their shot after Bumpus fumbled decades ago, King revealed she is actively dating and humorously quoted RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” Regardless of when she finds that special someone, we’re happy to see her in such good spirits. Watch the full clip below, then keep scrolling for his apology.
William Bumpus apologizes after Gayle King revisits his marriage-ruining infidelity
In case you missed it, Bumpus issued a lengthy statement on Wednesday (May 27) evening after King’s "Call Her Daddy" appearance began making the rounds. "My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband Virgil, to our son William and his wife Elise, and to our three grandchildren for the pain I caused decades ago,” he shared with TMZ. “Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand."
"Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly 40 years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it,” Bumpus added.
“As a private person by nature, I will admit that during our marriage, I did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life — I wanted ours to be more private, and that was something I wrestled with, and no reflection on her true talent and abilities,” he further explained. “I am proud to have had a front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success, and I remain a genuine admirer and fan."
As King noted earlier today, the two still speak often, so there seemingly isn’t any bad blood on either side.
Gayle King details finding out about her husband's affair on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy”
During her sit-down with Cooper, King said that while she was “happy” in her relationship with Bumpus before learning about his infidelity, she started to sense something was off while they were playing tennis with another couple. When she brought it up later, the TV personality felt that he tried to “gaslight” her and shut down her concerns.
“That said, I still didn’t think anything,” King explained. “And Oprah [Winfrey] always says, ‘Sometimes you get a whisper, and then when you ignore the whisper, it becomes a little pebble, and then you ignore the pebble. And next thing you know, it keeps going. Then you have a full-blown catastrophe.’”
It didn’t take long for the catastrophe Winfrey was talking about to arrive. One day, King came home early from a trip and found her husband cheating with the same woman they were playing tennis with. “I get down, and there they are — or there she is cowering behind the door in my towel. It was a nice bath sheet,” she remembered.
While we can only imagine what was going through King’s mind, she said her immediate concern was keeping it private, given that she was a local news anchor at the time. To make matters even more stressful, police later arrived at the house because she hadn’t turned off the alarm quickly enough. However, even after everything happened, the Maryland native said the only person she told was Winfrey, despite how close she was with her mother.
King and Bumpus tied the knot in 1982, and although they tried to repair their marriage afterward, the two eventually divorced in 1993. Watch the "Call Her Daddy" sit-down below.