Gayle King was married to William Bumpus for 11 years and welcomed a daughter and a son before they divorced. Is she married now? Details on her husband, and kids explored.
CBS broadcaster Gayle King has made quite a tremendous name for herself. You know her for her incredible broadcast journalism career as she’s currently a co-anchor on CBS This Morning. She’s also been the editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine for more than two decades. And the icing on the cake, she’s Oprah Winfrey‘s long-time BFF.
You may also know that currently, Gayle is single. What you may not know is that she has been married before. That’s because her romantic life is rarely ever brought to light. So — the big question — who exactly is her ex? Well, for starters: His name is William Bumpus. They have two kids together and had quite a messy divorce back in 1993. Read on to find out more about William and the rise and fall of his and Gayle’s marriage.
Who was Gayle King married to?
Renowned American TV personality Gayle King was married to a man named William Bumpus. Her husband is a U.K.-born lawyer who eventually moved to the United States where he became the assistant attorney general of Connecticut. Since then, he has held many other significant titles in law.
Gayle and William married in 1982 and ended up divorcing 11 years later, in 1993.
Image Source: Getty Images
Why did Gayle King divorce her husband?
The news anchor revealed that William Bumpus cheated on her.
During a 2006 episode of her past XM Satellite radio show with Will Smith as a guest, Gayle talked about what her marriage was like and how she was feeling now. “I was married to a cheater,” she said, “I went to marital counseling. I have been divorced since 1993, so I’m all healed and everything. I have worked it out. I’m not bitter. I’m OK. I’m really OK.”
In 2016, Gayle completed a questionnaire with Vanity Fair where she released some shocking information about her past marriage. When asked: “Which living person do you most despise?” She responded with: “’Despise’ is a strong word. I’m not a huge fan of the woman I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 P.M.—but I don’t remember the details.'”
After Gayle revealed William’s infidelity, he gave a statement to ET saying: “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 continued, “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept our children, as well as my relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority.”
Has Gayle dated anyone since her divorce?
To make the whole cheating scandal worse, it turns out that the woman Gayle caught in bed with William was a friend of hers (who clearly had no respect for the girl code).
According to the Daily Mail, the unnamed friend didn’t even show remorse for her actions. Gayle kept it classy though when she was asked to comment on the name of her ex-friend, replying with, “She knows her name!”
Since then, Gayle has been understandably low-key about her dating life. However, she once revealed (through a PageSix report) that she went on a few dates with a man who eventually revealed that he was still married.
The man tried to explain that he was separated from his wife, but Gayle recognized that was a red flag and cut things off immediately.
Did William ever apologize to Gayle?
Although the mystery ex-friend of Gayle’s never apologized to her, William did. Per the same Daily Mail report, William said that, “I have been haunted by 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.”
Gayle’s ex-husband had nothing but praise for Gayle, saying that, “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace.”
He continued with, “Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother, and a fantastic co-parent. I am eternally grateful for all she has done and continues to do to enrich my life and the lives of our incredible adult children.”
Are Gayle King and William friends?
These days, Gayle and her ex-husband William don’t interact much.
Gayle and William seem to only be in touch for the sake of their kids. In the same radio episode with Smith, she talked about the importance of a mother and father being cordial for the children that they share, even if they’re personally not on good terms. “It’s so important for people who have children together to get along. Regardless of how you feel about the other as a spouse, you still have these children to raise together.”
Who are Gayle King’s kids?
Famed anchor Gayle King is a mother of two grown-up children (a daughter and a son) and shares all her kids with her ex-husband, William Bumpus.
The names of her kids are Kirby William and William Bumpus Jr.
All her children have a godmother and she is none other than Oprah Winfrey.
They also have good jobs and are already starting their own family making their news presenter mother a grandmother.
Image Source: Getty Images
Who is William Bumpus Jr.?
William Bumpus Jr is an American celebrity kid and television personality famously recognised as the son of television personality Gayle King and attorney William Bumpus.
He was born on April 28, 1987, in Connecticut
Oprah Winfrey worked as his nanny and gave the commencement speech at his college graduation.
The now 36-year-old and his mother dine out at Red Lobster every year for his birthday.
Is William Bumpus Jr married? The 34 -year- old has successfully led a private life despite being famous. He has not come out publicly about his marital status, and not much is not known about his partner. Therefore, it is unclear if he is single, dating, engaged, or married.
What does Gayle King’s son do for a living? Sources have not accurately pinpointed William jr’s occupation since he graduated from Duke University. However, William Bumpus jr has lived a life of fortune and fame and hasn’t had to break a sweat to get by. He has worked as an entertainment DJ once and shares the limelight with his mother and Oprah Winfrey.
What is William Bumpus Jr.’s net worth? His fortune is estimated at $9 million as of 2021. The net worth is inclusive of his assets, income, and money. His primary source of revenue comes from being an heir to celebrity parents. Bumpus Jr has accumulated a staggering fortune but prefers to live a modest life.
Image Source: Getty Images
Who is Kirby William?
Kirby Bumpus is the 32-year-old daughter of Gayle King, and she’s also Oprah’s goddaughter.
What does Kirby Willaim do for a living? Gayle King’s daughter currently works as the head of social impact and inclusion at Sweetgreen, a fast-casual restaurant chain known chiefly for its salad. Prior to taking that position, she was working at the Department of Health and Human Services and then as an associate director for policy in the White House. As part of her work in the White House, she worked on Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.
Who is Kirby William married to? In February 2019, Kirby announced her engagement to Virgil Miller. Two years later, on Feb. 1, 2021, Gayle revealed during a CBS segment that Kirby and Virgil had officially tied the knot. The nuptials took place at Oprah’s house, and Will Jr. officiated the ceremony. Unfortunately, Gayle wasn’t allowed to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“[It’s] tough to see your daughter get married and not be able to hug,” she said. Even though she wasn’t able to be present on the big day, she did say that she was able to help her daughter remotely pick out her wedding dress.
Not every pregnancy gets to be announced on a morning news show. But in 2021, Gayle King set some time aside on CBS This Morning to announce that her daughter was pregnant, although she made it very clear that she is not looking to be called “grandma.”
What is Kirby William’s net worth? She reportedly has a fortune between $1 million and $5 million.
Gayle was ecstatic to become a grandmother.
Gayle again kept her audience in the loop when her grandson Luca was born in September 2021.
“Kirby got out of the hospital on Friday and I got on a plane, I left the set, got on a plane and I actually beat her home Friday ’cause it took so long to get released from the hospital,” she said on air.
The proud grandmother went on to say, “I wanted to be a grandmother for a long time, and it’s really something when you see your own child become a parent. I am so nuts about him. And then I was holding him, Kirby goes, ‘You know, you have to support his neck.’ Uh, okay! I actually know how to do this!”
Since becoming a grandmother — Luca reportedly calls her “Gaia” as in Mother Earth — Gayle has fully embraced the role, calling him her “favorite grandson.”
Meanwhile, in a sweet Instagram post about her tight-knit family that Kirby shared shortly after her son’s birth, the new mom gushed, “I’m so grateful for these invaluable moments I’ve had with my mom over the last few weeks and get all the feels when I think about our new dynamic, along with Luca’s growing love and relationship with his Gaia as he grows up!”
It seems there’s a lot of love in this family and it is a beautiful thing to see. Meanwhile, as a fun aside, Luca reportedly calls Gayle’s BFF Oprah “Auntie O.”