Gayle King Denies 50-Year Oprah Romance Rumors, Says Divorce Claims Were False

12 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 27

Gayle King said on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that long-running rumors of a secret relationship with Oprah Winfrey once "really bothered" her, but no longer do.
King said the speculation intensified after her divorce, when the National Enquirer claimed she and Winfrey were secretly gay and that it caused the split; she said, "I prefer a man."
Oprah urged her to ignore the rumors rather than address them publicly, King said, even after she argued that the gossip was hurting her dating life.
King said social media acts as "an accelerator on hate," but she now focuses on whether people she trusts are comfortable with her actions and avoids looking like she is hiding.
The two have been friends for 50 years since meeting at a Baltimore TV station; King divorced William Bumpus after his affair, and Winfrey has long been with Stedman Graham.

As Gayle King seeks love at 71, what does her story reveal about dating in the public eye later in life?

As her media empire faces internal conflict, can Alex Cooper's 'tell-all' podcast brand survive its own drama?

Why does society still sexualize intense platonic friendships between powerful women after fifty years of scrutiny?