Gayle King revisited one of the most painful moments of her personal life in a May 27, 2026 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, describing how she discovered her then-husband William Bumpus was having an affair with one of her close friends. King said she did not suspect anything, despite what she later viewed as subtle clues, and only uncovered the betrayal after a canceled flight brought her home unexpectedly with her children.
According to King, the situation escalated the moment she entered the house and set off the alarm. She recalled Bumpus rushing out wearing only a towel and telling her she could not come inside because “someone’s here.” King said she did not believe him and began searching the home herself. She then found the other woman hiding behind a door, wearing her towel. King said the person was not a stranger but a close friend, someone she had trusted enough to call her “aunt.”
King described the moment as humiliating and heartbreaking, saying she told the woman she could not believe she was there and doing that to her. She also said she felt pitiful while confronting the situation. The alarm triggered a response from the security company, which led police to arrive at the home. King said officers recognized her and reacted with surprise, even asking for autographs. She joked that the moment briefly gave her a strange sense of power, though she did not act on it.
The journalist also shared that after the confrontation, Bumpus drove the woman to the train station so she could return to her own husband, adding another layer to the betrayal. King said she immediately called Oprah Winfrey to vent about what had happened. The affair became a major factor in the breakdown of her marriage, and King and Bumpus later divorced in 1993 after 11 years together.
In the interview, King reflected on the emotional damage caused by the double betrayal, from both her husband and her friend. The story highlighted a deeply personal chapter in the life of one of television’s most recognized journalists, showing the pain behind the public figure. King’s account also underscored how unexpectedly a private crisis can unfold, turning an ordinary return home into a moment she would never forget.
