Scandals Gayle King's Reputation Will Never Recover From

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The following article includes mentions of rape and sexual assault.

Gayle King has been a prominent media figure since her talk show, "The Gayle King Show," aired in 1997. That amount of time in the industry has caused her to face her fair share of rumors, controversy, and scandal. After all, viewers are still convinced that she and Oprah Winfrey are in a relationship.

That being said, King has faced her fair share of tragic situations in her own life, which she has never shied away from airing out on live TV. The most significant of which came when she revealed that her ex-husband, William Bumpus, was cheating on her in 1990. "'Despise' is a strong word. I'm not a huge fan of the woman I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 P.M. — but I don't remember the details," she recalled when Vanity Fair asked about the person she despised most in the world in July 2016.

Certain events take place because they are out of one's control, and others are brought upon the person because of their own words or actions; King has been well acquainted with both. With King gearing up to launch into space on April 14, 2025, let's take a look back at all of the scandals that have plagued Gayle King's career.

One of the biggest scandals of daytime television came when Charlie Rose got hit with sexual harassment charges in November 2017. Over time, a total of 35 women came forward, detailing stories of misconduct in the workplace and Rose grabbing or speaking to them inappropriately. The controversy caused Rose to be let go from PBS, where he hosted his talk show for 26 seasons, and CBS, where he co-anchored "CBS This Morning" for five years with co-host Gayle King.

The day after the allegations came to light, King responded on "CBS This Morning" in his absence: "You know, I've enjoyed a friendship and a partnership with Charlie for the past five years. I've held him in such high regard and I'm really struggling because how do you — what do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done something that is so horrible?" (via CBS News). She then doubled down on the fact that the women who came forward were the actual victims in this situation.

By June 2019, it was an entirely different story when King sat down with The Hollywood Reporter. "Charlie is not on my you're-dead-to-me list," she said, continuing, "I saw him about a month ago." King's controversial moment came when she addressed their relationship again to The New York Times in October 2018, this time concerning the #MeToo movement. She explained that while the victims are rightfully at the forefront of this movement, there should be some wiggle room for the accused. "Murderers are walking around. People who kill people are walking around," she expressed. "surely there must be room for some redemption somewhere... Maybe people don't want to hear that."

You probably knew where you were when the news broke that Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Nine people lost their lives in the tragic accident, including Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant. Shortly following their passing, Gayle King interviewed Lisa Leslie, a WNBA player and a close friend of Bryant's. One particular aspect of the NBA legend's career that King mentioned didn't have viewers too thrilled.

In 2003, a young woman came forward claiming that Bryant had raped her. Ultimately, the charges were dropped, but the whole ordeal had a lasting effect on Bryant's career. When King asked about it posthumously, some viewed it as insensitive. "It's been said that his legacy is complicated because of a sexual assault charge, which was dismissed in 2003, 2004. Is it complicated for you as a woman, as a WNBA player?" King asked Leslie, to which she responded, "It's not complicated for me at all ... Kobe's not the kind of guy," continuing, "I just never, have ever seen him being the kind of person that would do something to violate a woman or be aggressive in that way. That's just not the person that I know."

Many voiced their disdain over King voicing the topic, including Snoop Dogg. He posted a now-deleted video to Instagram completely berating the journalist, calling her a "funky dog-head b****" (via NBC). Snoop has since apologized for the video, but not before King made a response video of her own on Instagram. She claimed the clip was taken out of context, that she wasn't happy with how the question appeared on its own, and lent her support to Bryant's character.

In February 2025, Gayle King announced that she was part of the all-female team that would be heading into space with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' company. On April 14, 2025, King was joined by Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez (Bezos' fiancee), Amanda Nguyen, Kerianne Flynn, and Aisha Bowe on a 10-minute 21-second ride on the New Shepard rocket. Upon their return from space, the journalist revealed to The New York Times, "I stepped out of my comfort zone in a way that I never thought was possible for me. And now that I've done it, I really do feel I can take on anything, anything."

Some are not as supportive of King's latest endeavor. Elle did a cover story on the six women in April 2025 and subsequently advertised the piece on Instagram, where many chose to voice their concerns. A lot of the discourse surrounding this venture voices it as being tone-deaf, as Bowe is the only person on the crew with a background in aerospace engineering. The mission claims to be a statement of female empowerment, but many view it as propaganda. One user commented, "Sorry Gayle. Love you but you need to distance yourself from Lauren Sanchez. It's a bad look. Still love you! While another chimed in, "Privileged women doing privileged things. So very disappointed in Gayle!"

Gayle King has had her fair share of uncomfortable interviews, but this one takes the cake by far. In April 2025, stand-up comedian Matteo Lane appeared on "CBS Mornings" to promote his new cookbook, "Your Pasta Sucks." Gayle King was joined by Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson for the interview, which segwayed from chatter about his new book to his stand-up special, to which King remarked, "Can I just say one joke? I hope I don't get in trouble. You do a riff about white women who have approached you, and they said something about cooking, and you said, 'What in the f*****try are you talking about?'"

Lane, who is openly gay, wasn't phased by King using the word. In fact, he gleefully expressed, "I love you, Gayle King!" Other viewers were not as ecstatic. One user took to X, formerly Twitter, writing, "In what world would Gayle King think it's okay to say a gay slur on national television?? In 2025?!?!" Another added their two cents, "Most def stopped expecting more from @GayleKing years ago. Not at all surprised she's using slurs."

In October 2024, author Ta-Nehisi Coates went on "CBS Mornings" to promote his new book, "The Message." The interview got rather heated between Coates and co-host Tony Dokoupil, but the aftermath had even more drama. A few days later, Coates went on Trevor Noah's "What Now?" podcast and suggested that he might've had some tips before he sat down on set.

"Gayle came behind the stage before we went, and she had gone through the book. And I'm not saying she agreed with the book. She was like: "I want to ask you about this, I want to ask you about that," Coates told Noah. He went on to show his support for King and remained firm in that she was a class act and a wonderful journalist. However, a former CBS employee told The Free Press, "If she was showing him specific lines of questioning in advance, that would violate journalistic standards." Subsequently, a CBS spokesperson spoke to The Daily Mail about the controversy, "Gayle King is one of the most respected journalists in America. She is known for her thorough preparation and note-taking. She reads the books, consumes the content that will be discussed, and extensively prepares for each interview on CBS Mornings," the insider claimed, continuing, "Engaging in pre-segment conversations with guests is a standard practice for any experienced host. Discussing a guest's work ahead of time is a common approach to establish rapport."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).