Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey speak out about THOSE allegations of a lesbian lover
The long-running myth that Oprah Winfrey and her lifelong best friend Gayle King had been covertly involved in a love relationship for decades was dispelled.
The 70-year-old media mogul, who has been with boyfriend Stedman Graham for more than 35 years, spoke about her strong relationship with King, 69, during an appearance on Melinda French Gates’ Moments That Make Us interview series.
«It wasn’t even a matter of navigation, I think we’ve shared pretty much everything,» the legendary former daytime TV host remarked. People used to accuse us of being gay for years, and let’s face it—we had to live with it forever. And many might still believe that.
It was ‘hard enough for’ King to find a date on a Saturday night without people assuming they were dating, so she used to beg Oprah to produce a show explaining they were just friends, King said.
«We would tell you if we were gay,» the mother of two reassured the audience.
What, in Winfrey’s opinion, leads people to believe that they are more than simply friends is that they «aren’t used to seeing women with this kind of truth bond.»
«I believe that our friendship has succeeded because Gayle is happier—not happy—for me when I succeed in any endeavor or overcome a challenge than I am for myself,» the 20-time Emmy winner said.
«And I feel as happy as she does,» she went on. «I can’t be happier than Gayle.» She cannot be out-happy by you. I’m just as delighted for her.
Winfrey observed that a «tiny bit of jealousy about anything» among friends has the power to destroy the bond.
About the friendship between her and Winfrey, King remarked, «I just assumed everybody had a really good friend.» I simply thought that every woman had at least one; perhaps this was not true for men as well.
King added that she doesn’t hesitate to be honest with her best friend.
«Everyone in Oprah’s life is very flattering and agreeable with things that she says,» the spokesperson said.
And occasionally I’ll just say, «That’s not true at all.» You don’t look good with your hair.»
At a 2013 Watch What Happens Live appearance, Winfrey denied ever going for a «dip in the lady pond.»
In response to the question of whether she had ever had sexual relations with a woman, Winfrey said, «No, no, I have not.» I’m grateful.
She declared she’s «not a lesbian» or «even kind of a lesbian» in an interview with Barbara Walters three years prior.
«Why do you think you should hide it?» Regarding her sexuality, she remarked, «That is not how I run my life.»
In response to a question about how she felt about King, Winfrey remarked that her friend was «the mother» she «never had» and the «sister everybody would want.»
Winfrey declared, «She is the friend that everybody deserves.» «I have never met a better person.»
King also said that he finds it «silly and irritating that people continue to question» the nature of their connection.
The thing that worries me the most about it, in my opinion, is that we would deny it, even though we’ve both stated repeatedly that there’s something wrong with being gay. that people would assume we were gay and deny it as though there were a problem.
It’s unjust to LGBT people, in my opinion. It seems unjust to me, Stedman [Graham]. In 2011, King said on Nightline, «I think it’s unfair to her and I think it’s unfair to me.»
The friends corrected the record in a 2006 issue of O, Winfrey’s magazine.
Winfrey acknowledged, «I understand why people think we’re gay. There’s no definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women.» I get why it needs to be labeled, though, as how can you be this near without it being deemed sexual?
Additionally, the two acknowledged that they talked on the phone «four times a day.»
King emphasized at the time that «there’s nothing wrong with being gay» and said people should come out if they identified as gay.
King later said, «I would marry Oprah if she were a man.»
«I feel like this relationship was created by a force and hand bigger than myself,» Winfrey said in closing. «It feels otherworldly to me.» «This friendship, whatever it is, has been a lot of fun.»
Early in their careers, the pair met while working for Baltimore’s WJZ radio station.
Oprah was anchoring at the time, and King worked in another department as a production assistant.
King recalled how Oprah had kindly welcomed her to stay with her during a snowfall in an O, The Oprah Magazine issue.
«I met someone who I felt was like me for the first time, and we became friends that first night,» Gayle remarked. I’d never encountered someone like that. Not another Black chick, for sure. In my all-white community, I grew up.
Looking back at themselves as twentysomethings, Winfrey claimed that she and her friend «didn’t fit in to everybody else’s perception of what it’s like to be a Black girl» and that they both felt like the odd girl out.
But we were still quite proud of being Black and felt very strongly that we were Black. So it was amazing to meet another Black girl in that way. King continued.
Ever since their tragic introduction, the friends have taken numerous trips together and worked professionally on a range of projects.
King even designated Winfrey as Kirby Bumpus’s 38-year-old godmother and William Bumpus Jr.’s 37-year-old godmother.
King claimed that she never gets weary of being questioned in interviews about her best friend, even after all these years.
«I find it so fulfilling to answer questions about Oprah because I believe that she is adored exactly as she is.» I adore how accepting she is of herself. In March 2024, she told Newsweek, «And it only makes me proud.»
In her own words, «I can’t wait for people to meet Oprah because they never disappoint me,» just as I can’t wait for them to meet Will and Kirby, my favorite son and daughter.
King concluded by stating that she had never seen Oprah’s «shadow» around her.
«I recognize myself in her.» Thus, she exclaimed, «I am never offended by that whatsoever whenever somebody says something about her to me.»
