{"id":2435895,"date":"2026-05-28T20:39:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T20:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2435895"},"modified":"2026-05-28T20:39:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T20:39:52","slug":"what-happened-with-gayle-king-ex-husband-william-bumpus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/what-happened-with-gayle-king-ex-husband-william-bumpus\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happened with Gayle King & Ex-Husband William Bumpus?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On the May 27 episode of the Call Her Daddy<\/a><\/em> podcast, Gayle Ki<\/a>n<\/a>g<\/a> opened up to host Alex Cooper about a painful chapter in her life: discovering that her then-husband, William Bumpus<\/a>, was cheating on her with one of her best friends.<\/p>\n

Bumpus, who had previously apologized publicly to King and their children, issued another apology the same day the podcast aired. In a statement shared with TMZ<\/a><\/em>, he said, \u201cMy 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. Those actions were mine. I have long owned them \u2014 including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He continued, \u201cGayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that\u2019s where I\u2019ll leave it.\u201d Bumpus added that he is \u201cendlessly grateful to Gayle,\u201d and that despite the past, they \u201cremain in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Speaking with TMZ<\/a> <\/em>on Thursday, May 28, King said she was \u201csurprised\u201d by Bumpus\u2019 latest apology but \u201cappreciated what he had to say\u201d about what was a \u201cvery painful time\u201d in her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut people need to understand that anybody who has been through it knows how painful it is,\u201d she told the outlet. \u201cBut I also know that you can go through it and get through it on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

She emphasized that Bumpus\u2019 infidelity happened long ago and that both of them have \u201chealed\u201d and \u201cmoved on.\u201d King noted, \u201cThe reason why I can talk about it so candidly, to be honest with you, is because \u2026 so much time has passed. I\u2019m in a really great place, and so is he.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: Sutton Foster Shares About Stress Relief Amid Reports Hugh Jackman\u2019s Ex-Wife Wants \u2018Closure\u2019 from Her After Affair Rumors<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

King and Bumpus tied the knot in 1982, but their marriage unraveled after the affair. On the Call Her Daddy<\/em> podcast, King reflected on the moment she found out Bumpus was cheating on her with her friend after returning home early with their kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe comes flying out of the room. He\u2019s got a towel on, and he goes, \u2018You can\u2019t come in,\u2019\u201d King recalled, saying her reaction was, \u201cWhat do you mean I can\u2019t come in? What are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, King found one of her close friends \u201ccowering behind the door in my towel.\u201d She remembered confronting her: \u201c\u2019I can\u2019t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I can\u2019t believe that you are doing this.\u2019 And I even said, \u2018I thought we were friends!\u2019 It sounded so pitiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

King quickly asked her nanny to take the kids to a different room to shield them from the heartbreaking scene. She told Cooper that she was desperate to keep Bumpus\u2019 affair private, explaining, \u201cBecause I was thinking, \u2018The kids are here. I don\u2019t want anybody to know.\u2019 That was my main thought \u2014 I don\u2019t want anybody to know\u2026 I kept thinking, I don\u2019t want it to be a scene because they\u2019re little. They know this person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although she and Bumpus tried to make their relationship work, they eventually divorced in 1993.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n