Gayle King addresses decades-old speculation that she was secretly dating Oprah Winfrey, telling Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that the rumors used to affect her emotionally. Multiple outlets report that King discusses how the gossip began circulating in the 1990s and that, while she and Winfrey remain close friends, she found the public speculation troubling.
King says she asked Winfrey to shut down the rumors on air but that Winfrey did not, according to accounts of King’s remarks. She describes the effect the persistent claims had on her personal life over time. The discussion also references King’s earlier discomfort with how the rumor framed their relationship.
The outlets agree that King’s comments are part of her broader effort to explain her past reactions to the rumor and how it shaped her feelings and interactions with Winfrey. She does not provide new evidence of the rumors being true, instead focusing on her emotional response and the dynamics of how the speculation was (or was not) publicly addressed.
