On June 24, 1990, Gayle King caught her now ex-husband cheating with another woman. The popular journalist and host opens up about the incident in a new interview with Vanity Fair.
King was married to Connecticut Assistant Attorney General William Bumpus for eight years when she walked in on her husband cheating in their own bed. “Despise is a strong word,” King told Vanity Fair. “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.”
Along with being hurt by Bumpus, Gayle grew an immediate dislike for the other woman despite her feelings that “there’s nothing better than women who support and encourage other women.” Bumpus publicly apologized to King after he was informed of her interview with Vanity Fair, telling 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.”
It is now 2016 and Gayle is completely healed from the matter. She said on her radio show in 2006, “I was married to a cheater . . . 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.”
Bumpus continues his apology, stating, “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. Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother and a fantastic co-parent. 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. I continue to be a work in progress and have spent the last 26 years striving to be a better man and father. I applaud Gayle’s continued phenomenal success and friendship!”
