Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King break silence on THOSE lesbian lover rumors

Oprah Winfrey unopen down the longstanding rumor that she and her longtime champion friend, Gayle King, person secretly been successful a decades-long romanticist relationship. 

While appearing connected Melinda French Gates' Moments That Make Us question and reply series, nan 70-year-old media mogul, who has been pinch partner Stedman Graham for complete 35 years, reflected connected her adjacent enslaved pinch King, 69.

'I deliberation we've shared beautiful overmuch everything and I would person to say, it wasn't moreover a matter of navigation,' nan former daytime TV fable said. 'For years, group utilized to opportunity we were gay, and listen, we were up against that forever. And group still whitethorn deliberation it.'

King quipped that she usage to inquire Oprah to do a show clarifying they were conscionable friends arsenic it was 'hard capable for' her 'to get a day connected Saturday nighttime without group reasoning they were together. 

'If we were gay, we'd show you!' nan mother-of-two assured viewers. 

As for what she thinks sparks speculation that they are much than conscionable friends, Winfrey said it's because group 'aren't utilized to seeing women pinch this benignant of truth bond.'

'The logic why I deliberation our relationship has worked is because Gayle is happier, not happy, but happier for maine for immoderate benignant of occurrence aliases triumph aliases situation I get done than I americium for myself,' nan 20-time Emmy victor stated. 

She continued: 'And I consciousness arsenic happy arsenic she does — I can't beryllium happier than, cannot surpass Gayle. You cannot out-happy her. I americium arsenic as happy for her.'

Winfrey noted that moreover a 'hint of jealousy astir anything' betwixt friends tin ruin nan relationship. 

'I conscionable assumed everybody had a really bully friend,' King said of her and Winfrey's friendship. 'I conscionable assumed each female - possibly not for men - but I conscionable assumed each female had astatine slightest one.' 

King besides noted that she's not acrophobic to beryllium existent pinch her BFF. 

'In Oprah's life, everybody is ever very flattering and is ever very agreeable pinch things that she says,' she explained. 'And sometimes I'll conscionable go, "That's conscionable not true. Your hairsbreadth does not look good."' 

During an quality connected Watch What Happens Live backmost successful 2013, Winfrey denied ever taking 'a dip successful nan woman pond.' 

When asked if she had ever been friendly pinch a female before, Winfrey answered: 'No, nary I person not. Thank you.' 

Three years earlier, she said successful an question and reply pinch Barbara Walters that she's 'not a lesbian' aliases 'even benignant of a lesbian.' 

'Why would you want to hide it? That is not nan measurement I tally my life,' she said of her sexuality. 

When asked to picture her narration pinch King, Winfrey said her pal was 'the mother' she 'never had' and nan 'sister everybody would want.' 

'She is nan friend that everybody deserves,' Winfrey said. 'I don't cognize a amended person.' 

King stated successful nan past that it's 'irritating and silly that anybody still questions' nan quality of their relationship. 

'I deliberation nan astir troubling point that bothers maine astir it is nan truth that we would contradict it, and we've some said this galore times, implies that there's thing incorrect pinch being gay. That group would deliberation that we would beryllium cheery and contradict it for illustration there's thing wrong. I deliberation that's unfair to cheery people. I deliberation it's unfair to Stedman [Graham]. I deliberation it's unfair to maine and I deliberation it's unfair to her,' King said on Nightline successful 2011.

In 2006, nan pals group nan grounds consecutive successful an rumor of Winfrey’s magazine, O. 

'I understand why group deliberation we’re gay, Winfrey admitted. 'There isn’t a meaning successful our civilization for this benignant of enslaved betwixt women. So I get why group person to explanation it – really tin you beryllium this adjacent without it being sexual?' 

The brace besides confirmed that they said connected nan telephone 'four times a day.' 

At nan time, King was emphatic that 'there’s thing incorrect pinch being gay' and if they were they would travel out. 

King, then, confessed: 'If Oprah were a man, I would wed her.' 

'Something astir this narration feels otherworldly to me, for illustration it was designed by a powerfulness and manus greater than my own,' Winfrey concluded. 'Whatever this relationship is, it’s been a very nosy ride.' 

The duo first met early successful their careers while moving for Baltimore's WJZ station. 

At nan time, Oprah was an anchor and King was employed arsenic a accumulation adjunct successful a different department. 

During an rumor of O, The Oprah Magazine, King recalled really Oprah generously invited her to enactment pinch her during a snowstorm 

'We became friends that first nighttime because for nan first time, I met personification who I felt was for illustration me,' Gayle said. 'I’d ne'er met anybody for illustration that. Certainly not different Black girl. I grew up successful an all-white community.'

While looking backmost astatine themselves arsenic twenty-somethings, Winfrey said they some felt for illustration 'the-odd-girl-out' and 'didn’t fresh successful to everybody else’s cognition of what it’s for illustration to beryllium a Black girl.' 

'But we still had a very beardown consciousness of being Black and were very proud of being Black. So to meet different Black woman for illustration that was, wow!' King added. 

Since their fateful introduction, nan pals person enjoyed countless vacations together and collaborated professionally connected various projects. 

King moreover chose Winfrey to beryllium nan godmother for some her children Kirby Bumpus, 38, and William Bumpus Jr., 37. 

Even aft each these years, King said she ne'er gets tired astir being asked astir her champion friend successful interviews. 

'I ne'er get sick of being asked astir Oprah because I truthful emotion that she is loved nan measurement she is. I truthful emotion that she is embraced nan measurement she is. And it only makes maine proud,' she told Newsweek successful March 2024. 

She explained: 'I consciousness astir Oprah nan measurement I consciousness astir [my] favourite son, Will, and [my] favourite daughter, Kirby, that I can’t hold for group to meet them because they ne'er disappoint me.' 

Ultimately King said she has ne'er seen herself successful Oprah's 'shadow.' 

'I spot myself successful her light. So anytime personification says thing astir her to me, I americium ne'er offended by that ever,' she raved.