Oprah Winfrey Just Addressed The Decades-Long Speculation That She And Gayle King Are Secretly A Lesbian Couple

“I used to say to her: ‘You’ve got to do a show on this, because it’s hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night without people thinking we’re gay!'” Gayle joked.

Back in 1976, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King were twenty-something journalists working at Baltimore’s WJZ station, with Oprah a news anchor and Gayle a production assistant.

Oprah Winfrey in a floral gown, and Gayle King in a red dress, smiling and standing together

“Gayle is the mother, sister, friend that I never had,” Oprah explained before revealing that Gayle was the only one who believed in her when she decided to move from Baltimore to Chicago to pursue her broadcasting career.

Oprah Winfrey in a sequined dress poses with Gayle King in an off-the-shoulder gown. Gayle is holding a rainbow-colored clutch

“You know, for years, people used to say we were gay,” she continued. “And listen, we were up against that forever, and people still may think it.”

Oprah Winfrey in a tailored suit and Gayle King in a green dress sit on a couch, smiling and holding coffee cups

Oprah went on to add that over the years, she has had friends show signs of jealousy or bitterness toward her, concluding: “You can’t be friends with anybody who has a hint of jealousy about anything that you’re doing. Certainly about your success or being celebrated or anything that you have. You cannot be friends if you see that in somebody.”

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King stand together, smiling. Oprah is wearing a long-sleeved black top and pants, while Gayle is dressed in a short-sleeved black dress

She also acknowledged the yes-men that can surround Oprah on account of her astronomical fame as she explained: “In Oprah’s life, everybody is always very flattering and is always very agreeable with things that she says. And sometimes I’ll just go: ‘That’s just not true, your hair does not look good.’”

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King

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