Gayle King's ex-husband, William Bumpus, is publicly apologizing for being caught in bed with another woman while he was married to the TV personality.
King made a quip about her ex while completing Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire. When asked what living person she most despises, the CBS This Morning host answered, "I'm not a huge fan of the woman who I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 p.m., but I don't remember the details."
Following King's confession, Bumpus, via his rep, released a statement to ET. "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," his statement reads. "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.
King and Bumpus were married for 11 years, and share a daughter and a son together, Kirby and William Bumpus Jr. "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," he continued. "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!"
King's best friend Oprah Winfrey revealed in a joint interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, in 2006 that she didn't think their marriage was going to "work out" when she attended the wedding in 1982. "It didn't feel joyful. You know how you go to weddings and they're full of joy? There are some weddings you go to and you're just filled with all this hope for the couple. And you feel that there's something special going on. I didn't feel that at yours," Winfrey explained. "It just felt kind of pitiful."
The 62-year-old Queen of Talk said she kept quiet at the time because it wasn't her place. King, 61, replied, "I wouldn't have believed you anyway."
"I felt like, well, maybe it's just me being jealous. Maybe I couldn't feel the joy because I was feeling like our friendship was going to change," Winfrey further admitted. "But it didn't."