Gayle King is a renowned American TV personality, writer, and news anchor at CBS News. She co-hosts the network’s popular morning show, CBS Mornings, and previously worked on its predecessor, CBS This Morning. Additionally, she holds the position of editor-at-large at O, The Oprah Magazine.
Gayle King Profile Summary
Full name: Gayle King
Date of birth: December 28, 1954
Age: 70 years (2024)
Gender: Female
Zodiac: Capricorn
Place of birth: Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S.
Education: University of Maryland, College Park
Occupation: Broadcast journalist and Magazine editor
Marital status: Divorced
Ex-husband: William G. Bumpus
Children: 2
Father: Scott King
Mother: Peggy King
Early Life & Education
Gayle King was born to Peggy Tucker and Emmett Scott King in Chevy Chase, Maryland. During her childhood, she spent five years living in Ankara, Turkey with her family while her father served in the military.
In 1966, they moved back to the United States where her father pursued a career as an electrical engineer. King later obtained a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Career
Gayle King joined WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut in 1981 and served as a news anchor for a total of 18 years. During this time, she was also a special correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and made 141 appearances over the course of its 25 seasons.
In 1991, King co-hosted the NBC daytime talk show “Cover to Cover” alongside Robin Wagner, but unfortunately, it was discontinued after only 13 weeks.
Gayle King has been the host of 3 iterations of “The Gayle King Show”: a talk show that aired for one season in 1997, a show on XM Satellite Radio in 2006, and a show on OWN in 2011. The most recent version of “The Gayle King Show” ran from January to November 2011, until King departed to co-anchor “CBS This Morning.”
Initially, “CBS This Morning” had Charlie Rose and Erica Hill as co-anchors, but Hill departed after 6 months and Rose was terminated in 2017 due to accusations of sexual misconduct.
Following Hill’s exit, Norah O’Donnell joined as a co-anchor and in January 2018, John Dickerson took over for Rose. However, both O’Donnell and Dickerson left in May 2019 and were replaced by Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil as Gayle’s new co-anchors.
In addition to her role as a special correspondent for “Good Morning America,” King co-hosted “Oprah and Friends” on XM Satellite Radio. Her 2019 interview with R. Kelly, in which she remained composed while he shouted and ranted, brought her recognition.
She is also recognized for publicly calling on CBS to be open about sexual harassment and misconduct at the network, specifically regarding accusations against former CEO Leslie Moonves in 2018.
Personal Life
In 1982, Gayle King married Bill Bumpus, who was an attorney and assistant attorney general. However, their marriage ended in 1993 when King discovered Bumpus in bed with another woman. The couple had two children, Kirby in May 1986 and William Jr. in April 1987. Oprah Winfrey is the godmother to their children.
In 1976, Gayle and Oprah first met while working at WJZ-TV and have remained close friends ever since. In 2018, Oprah had the honor of presenting Gayle with her induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. The next year, the two collaborated on a video series titled “The OG Chronicles” for OprahMag.com.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $40 million, Gayle King is an accomplished American journalist, writer, and magazine editor. She joined “CBS This Morning” as a co-host in 2012 and has been a part of “O, The Oprah Magazine” as an editor since 1999.
Additionally, she has served as a correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and hosted her own show, “The Gayle King Show” on OWN in 2011.
