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Gayle King<\/strong> and Oprah Winfrey<\/a><\/strong> have spent five decades publicly modeling a friendship that has survived fame<\/a>, heartbreak and constant attention. But King <\/strong>says there was a time when one rumor about their bond became so frustrating that she begged Winfrey <\/strong>to address it.<\/p>\n Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast, King <\/strong>said speculation that she and Winfrey <\/strong>were secretly in a romantic relationship \u201cused to really bother\u201d her, especially after her 1993 divorce from attorney William G. Bumpus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This was Oprah’s reaction when a fan said he wouldn’t spent $100 on his mother for Christmas<\/span><\/p>\n The CBS Mornings anchor recalled asking Winfrey <\/strong>to shut down the talk on her own platform.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say to her, \u2018You\u2019ve got to say something on your show, because it\u2019s hard enough for me to get a date on a Saturday night and now people think I\u2019m a lesbian, you\u2019ve gotta say something,\u2019\u201d King <\/strong>said.<\/p>\n Winfrey <\/strong>didn’t see it the same way. According to King<\/strong>, the media mogul told her they should simply \u201cleave\u201d the speculation alone.<\/p>\n King <\/strong>pushed back at the time, telling Winfrey<\/strong>: \u201cWell, that\u2019s fine for you to say. You have somebody. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Winfrey <\/strong>has been in a long-term relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986, while King was newly single after her marriage ended.<\/p>\n King<\/strong> said the speculation intensified after her divorce, which followed Bumpus<\/strong> cheating on her with one of her friends. As one tabloid falsely suggested the real reason for the split was her relationship with Winfrey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The veteran journalist was clear that the rumors were untrue, while also making the point that there would have been nothing shameful about it if they were.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were gay, we would tell you because believe me, there\u2019s nothing wrong with it,\u201d King <\/strong>said. \u201cIt\u2019s just, I prefer a man. So we would tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n Over time, King <\/strong>said she has learned to stop giving the claims emotional power.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She added that social media has only intensified the way false narratives travel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go on social media, it is an accelerator on hate,\u201d King <\/strong>said. \u201cAs long as I feel good about what I\u2019m doing, the people I respect and trust are okay with it. Otherwise you\u2019ll drive yourself nuts. So now I really don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\nKing says rumors were never true<\/h2>\n