Gayle King ‘surprised’ by ex-husband’s apology for cheating

Rob TaubMon, June 1, 2026 at 3:30 AM UTC

1

(NewsNation) — Television personality Gayle King recently revealed her true feelings about her ex-husband’s apology toward her after he had an affair nearly 40 years ago.

“I was surprised, but I can also say, I appreciated what he had to say,” the 71-year-old told TMZ. “I appreciate it, because listen, that was a very painful time.”

In 1990, King’s ex-husband, William Bumpus, cheated on her with a friend while their two kids were in the house. The journalist sat down with Alex Cooper earlier this week on “Call Her Daddy,” where she recalled the moment.

President Trump calls for America 250 concert to be canceled

King told Cooper she was leaving for a work trip, but her flight was canceled. She returned home with her children and housekeeper and noticed the house alarm was still armed even though Bumpus was inside. Bumpus told her someone else was in the house, so she went to investigate.

- SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 05: Gayle King attends the 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Craig T Fruchtman/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 23: Gayle King (C) with her children, Kirby Bumpus (L) and William Bumpus, Jr. attend the 2019 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

“Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand,” Bumpus told TMZ. “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.”

Following the infidelity, King and Bumpus went to counseling. The couple eventually divorced before reconciling and splitting again.

Advertisement

Gayle King told Oprah first about the cheating

The “CBS Mornings” host told Cooper that after she caught her friend with her then-husband, Bumpus begged her not to tell the woman’s husband.

He then drove the woman to the train station, which flabbergasted her best friend, Oprah Winfrey.

Las Vegas Mob Museum: Inside look

“I called Oprah, and Oprah goes, ‘Let me get this straight. He left you there alone and went with her?’ I know your mouth is open,” King told the “Call Her Daddy” host. “And she said, ‘Oh girl, you don’t even know how bad this is.’ And I’m going, “Yeah, but he said they had a good marriage.’ Stupid.”

King and Bumpus were married from 1982 to 1993.

NewsNation’s Teddy Grant contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”