Gayle King rose to fame as a co-anchor on CBS Mornings and was married to ex-husband, William Bumpus. for 11 years, between the 1980s and 1990s — and they share two children together from the union. Although Gayle typically keeps her personal life private, she opened up about William and the demise of their relationship in a May 2026 “Call Her Daddy” interview.
For those unaware of Gayle’s ex-husband’s infidelity, the news anchor discovered that he’d cheated on her with one of her friends. Gayle recounted the moment she found out about the affair and remembered that she came home early, only to discover William in a towel and her unnamed female friend trying to hide from her.
Here’s what to know about Gayle’s marriage to William.
Gayle and William, an attorney, married back in 1982. Tellingly, Oprah once shared why she didn’t think the marriage would ultimately last. “It didn’t feel joyful,” the TV mogul said in a 2006 interview with her O, The Oprah Magazine. “You know how you go to weddings and they’re full of joy? There are some weddings you go to and you’re just filled with all this hope for the couple. And you feel that there’s something special going on. I didn’t feel that at yours. It just felt kind of pitiful.”
Oprah didn’t want to tell her how she felt about it at the time. In the joint interview, Gayle told her she “wouldn’t have believed” her anyway.
During the course of the marriage, Gayle and William welcomed children into their family — daughter Kirby, born in May 1986, and son William Bumpus Jr., born in April 1987. Both are now grown, and Kirby made the former couple grandparents when she welcomed son, Luca with her husband Virgil Miller in September 2021.
In August of 2016, Gayle opened up during a Vanity Fair interview about alleged infidelity that eroded the marriage. When asked to name the person she “despises” most, she replied, ” ‘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 quipped.
