Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King on dating rumors: 'If we were gay, we would tell you'
Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King attend the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King – longtime friends and one of television's most iconic duos – are setting the record straight.
During a sit-down interview with Melinda French Gates for her "Moments That Make Us" series, Winfrey and King spoke about their high-profile friendship and the duo shot down the years-long rumor of them possibly dating.
"For years, people used to say we were gay," Winfrey, 70, said in the interview. "We were up against that for forever."
King chimed in, saying people still wonder if they are dating, even to this day.
"I used to say, ‘You got to do a show on this,'" King recalled telling Winfrey in the interview. "Because it’s hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night with people thinking we're gay."
"If we were gay, we would tell you," King, 69, said in the interview with Melinda French Gates.
The interview comes weeks after the "CBS Mornings" host appeared to out the media mogul for going to the emergency room – catching some viewers off-guard at the time because of Winfrey's tendency of keeping her personal life extremely private, including her health.
Days after King's unprompted health update, Winfrey appeared in a recorded FaceTime call with the CBS Mornings host to tell the public that she was fine.
Fast-forward to July 2024, the duo's 50-year friendship remains as strong as ever.
"Maybe people aren't accustomed to seeing women with this kind of truth bond," Winfrey said in the interview with Melinda French Gates. "Meaning, the reason why I think our friendship has worked is because Gail is happier, not happy, but happier for me for any kind of success or victory or challenge I get to, than I am for myself."