Oprah Winfrey is setting the record straight on her relationship with Gayle King after years of dating rumors.
The 70-year-old producer may not be married to her longtime partner Stedman Graham, but she’s not romantically involved with her best friend either. Still, Winfrey and King, 69, have been speculated to be more than friends for a while.
“For years, people used to say we were gay, and listen, we were up against that forever,” the former talk show host admitted in a recent podcast recording of Moments That Make Us with Melinda French Gates.
Winfrey and Gates were also joined by King, who isn’t currently dating anyone. According to the CBS broadcast journalist, she used to beg Winfrey to introduce the topic on her eponymous television program. She noted: “I used to say to Oprah: ‘You’ve gotta do a show on this. ‘Cause it’s hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night with people thinking we’re gay.”
“If we were gay, we’d tell you,” King bluntly added. As for why so many have accused the two women of being romantically linked, the media personalities believe it’s because so many people aren’t accustomed to seeing two women have a close, platonic friendship.
Winfrey said: “One of the things I started to think was that maybe people aren’t accustomed to seeing women with this kind of truth bond.”
But now, Gates believes Winfrey and King’s friendship is an ideal example and model for society. The two share a “deep, true” relationship for many to look up to and learn from.
“Gayle is happier for me, for any kind of success or victory or challenge I get through, than I am for myself,” Winfrey remarked. “And I feel as happy as she does. I can’t be happier than she can.”
The two powerhouse A-listers and activists have been friends since they were young journalists since 1976, both working for the WJZ station in Baltimore. Nearly 10 years later, King made her first appearance on Winfrey’s show for a segment on celebrity friendships.
Over the years, the duo has spoken highly of one another, crediting each other for motivating and empowering them in times of need.
In the 2006 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine, Winfrey admitted: “Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own.”
She continued: “Whatever this friendship is, it’s been a very fun ride – and we’ve taken it together.”
King was married to William Bumpus from 1982 to 1993, welcoming two children – Kirby and William Jr – together. Meanwhile, Winfrey has been dating Graham since 1986.
