A Painful Chapter in Gayle King’s Life
Gayle King, the 71-year-old co-host of CBS Mornings, recently opened up about a painful chapter in her life that significantly impacted her marriage. This moment, which she detailed on the Call Her Daddy podcast, involved her ex-husband, William Bumpus, who admitted to cheating with a woman she considered a family friend.
Their marriage, which lasted 11 years from 1982 to 1993, was deeply affected by this betrayal. Bumpus, who has since apologized for his actions, shared his remorse in a statement to TMZ. He expressed deep regret for the pain he caused not only Gayle but also their children and grandchildren.
- “My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago,” he said.
- “Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand.”
Bumpus acknowledged that this painful chapter changed the trajectory of their marriage and family nearly forty years ago. He respected Gayle’s right to tell her story and stated that he would leave it at that.
The Struggles of a Private Person
Bumpus admitted that he struggled with Gayle’s public life during their marriage. As a private person by nature, he wanted their lives to be more private, which he wrestled with over time.
- “I will admit that during our marriage I did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life — I wanted ours to be more private, and that was something I wrestled with, and no reflection on her true talent and abilities. I am proud to have had a front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success, and I remain a genuine admirer and fan.”
He also highlighted that he remains endlessly grateful to Gayle for giving him two of the greatest gifts of his life — their daughter Kirby and son William.
A Lasting Relationship Between Exes
Despite the challenges, Bumpus emphasized that he and Gayle remain in a good place. He noted that Gayle encouraged and supported him to pursue his Yale Law degree. Additionally, he praised her for choosing to co-parent successfully from the very beginning.
- “The love and camaraderie we forged in that work have carried us all these years.”
Bumpus mentioned that Gayle recently sent warm wishes to Poet, his teenage daughter, on her 16th birthday, which meant a great deal to them both.
The Cheating Scandal Revealed
Bumpus’s statement came after Gayle recounted the moment she caught him cheating in their marital home with a woman she had considered a family friend. The infidelity was exposed when Gayle returned home unannounced from Washington, DC, with their two young children.
Speaking to Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Gayle revealed that she walked in on the pair, both dressed in bath robes. Her husband tried to prevent her from entering the house, saying, “You can’t come in.”
At first, Gayle was oblivious and didn’t believe anyone else was in their home. However, as she faced more resistance, she began searching the house until she found the woman cowering behind the door in her towel.
The Aftermath of the Infidelity
Gayle had suspicions of an affair before catching her husband in the act. On one occasion, she heard the friend compliment her husband on his tennis abilities, which made her feel uneasy. She questioned him, but he immediately gaslit her, responding, “What are you talking about?”
Despite this encounter, Gayle didn’t think an affair was happening until she saw it with her own eyes. She quickly confided in her friend Oprah Winfrey, who told her, “You don’t even know how bad this is.”
A Public Apology and Gratitude
Bumpus has previously responded to Gayle’s admission about his affair. In 2016, he told Page Six: “I have been haunted with this life-altering choice. Though I have dealt with this privately… I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives.”
He also expressed his respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept their children, as well as his relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority.
- “Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother, and a fantastic co-parent,” he added.
- “I am eternally grateful for all that she has done and continues to do to enrich my life and the lives of our incredible adult children.”
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