Gayle King Details Catching Her Ex-Husband Having an Affair

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Gayle King Says Oprah Winfrey Romance Rumors Used to "Really Bother" Her

They say a woman always knows.

But Gayle King will be the first to admit it took actually walking in on her ex-husband William Bumpus being intimate with their friend—having come home unexpectedly after a flight was cancelled—to realize something had been amiss.

“The alarm was set,” Gayle recalled in conversation with Alex Cooper on the May 27 episode of Call Her Daddy. “Which I thought, ‘That's strange because, you’re in here by yourself. You’re a big, grown-ass man.’ He never sets the alarm.”

“Next thing I know,” the media mogul said, “he comes flying out of the room and he’s got a towel on. He goes, ‘You can’t come in.’ What do you mean, ‘Can’t?’ I can’t come in, what are you talking about? He goes, ‘You can’t come in. Someone’s here.’”

Gayle said she didn’t initially believe her then-husband—with whom she shares kids Kirby, 40, and William, 39, then aged 3 and 2—and began searching the house.

“I get down,” she recalled, “and there she is cowering behind the door in my towel. I said, ‘I can't believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I can't believe that you are doing this. I even said—I sounded so pitiful—'I thought we were friends.’”

Gayle—who said her first call to after discovering the indiscretion was to her longtime friend Oprah Winfrey—walked in on Willaim’s affair in 1990, though they wouldn’t divorce until 1993 after 11 years of marriage.

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For his part, William has apologized publicly for his actions

"I have been haunted with this life altering choice,” he shared in a statement with Page Six in July 2016. “Though I have dealt with this privately...I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives. 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.”

He added, “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.”

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As for whether Gayle suspected her then-husband of anything before seeing it with her own eyes, the CBS anchor told Alex there was one moment that started to rouse her suspicion.

“I always say if I was writing a book, the first line in my book would be, ‘Whack,’ the sound of a tennis ball,” the 71-year-old said. She added of the woman, whose name she’s never revealed, “She said, ‘Nice shot, Bill.’ And the way she said it, there was such an intimacy in her voice that the hair stood up on the back of my neck. And I thought, ‘Why am I feeling that way?’ It was weird.”

After all, both she and the woman were married and had two little kids. Plus, the foursome were all friends.

“But there was something about the way she said, ‘Nice shot, Bill,’” Gayle added, “that I then looked and I thought did I see them looking at each other, and when I asked him in the car, he said, ‘What are you talking about?’ They try to gaslight you, by the way. ‘What are you talking about?’ And so he goes, ‘Absolutely not.’”

Nevertheless, “I did see what I saw,” Gayle noted, though it would take some time before she was ready to leave the marriage.

“If I hadn't had children it would have been game over,” she said. “But we went to counseling, tried to work it out. We actually got divorced and got back together. And then I realized he hadn't really changed.”

For more celebrity couples who found themselves embroiled in cheating scandals, read on. 

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Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson

Months after photos caught Stewart in the act with her Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, the Twilight co-stars called it quits in 2013. Since then, both actors have sunk their teeth into other relationships

Pattinson and singer FKA Twigs dated for three years until 2017 and a year later, he began seeing Suki Waterhouse. The couple welcomed a baby girl in 2024.

Meanwhile, Stewart went on to date several women—
including Alicia CargileSt. Vincent and Stella Maxwell—before marrying Dylan Meyer in 2025.

As for Sanders, he and his then-wife, model Liberty Rossdivorced after 10 years and two kids in the aftermath of the scandal.

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Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck

The Elektra actress and the Argo star announced that they were ending their 10-year marriage in June 2015. A month after the news, allegations that Affleck had an affair with their children's nanny surfaced, prompting the Oscar winner to publicly deny the claims.

Garner later clarified that she and Affleck broke up long before the rumors, telling Vanity Fair in 2016, "We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce."

The Alias alum and the Oscar winner divorced in 2018 and continue to co-parent their three kids: VioletSeraphina and Samuel.

In 2021, Affleck rekindled his '00s relationship with Jennifer Lopez and the two wed the following year. They split in 2024.

Meanwhile, Garner has been dating businessman John Miller on-and-off since 2018.

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Gleb Savchenko & Elena Samodanova

Shortly after announcing their split in November 2020, Samodanova accused her then-estranged husband Savchenko of cheating on her. Fans have speculated that Savchenko and his Dancing With the Stars partner Chrishell Stause were more than just friends, an allegation that both the dancer and the Selling Sunset star denied.

At the time, Savchenko responded to his wife's claims with a statement, saying, "My relationship with Chrishell was and remains strictly platonic. Our friendship during our season on DWTS was not the reason for our split. Elena and I have had longstanding issues in our marriage. This has been an ongoing situation between Elena and I paired with poor timing."

Savchenko and Samodanova—who share daughters Olivia and Zlata—finalized their divorce in October 2021.

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Adam Levine & Behati Prinsloo

In September 2022, Instagram model Sumner Stroh went public with claims that she had a year-long affair with the Maroon 5 singer and that he was trying to name his soon-to-arrive third child after her. Levine denied having an affair, but admitted to using "poor judgment" adding that he "crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life."

In the wake of the allegations, Prinsloo stood by her man, with a source close to the couple telling E! News that the Victoria's Secret Angel is "upset but she does believe him that there was no physical affair."

The couple stayed together and went on to welcome a son, who joined big sisters Dusty Rose and Gio Grace.

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Jesse James & Sandra Bullock

To the shock of many who witnessed her 2009 Academy Award speech dedicated to the West Coast Choppers founder, Bullock filed for divorce months later after James allegedly participated in an 11-month affair with a tattoo model. At the time, James and Bullock were simultaneously in the process of adopting a child, a boy named Louis.

Since then, the Miss Congeniality star adopted a daughter she named Laila and began a romance with photographer Bryan Randall. He died in 2023 at age 57 after battling ALS.

James married Bonnie Rotten in 2022 and the two welcomed a son the following year. Rotten filed for divorce in 2024, but later requested to have her petition be dismissed.

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Nick Young & Iggy Azalea

Even after the couple decided to tough things out amid allegations that the NBA star cheated on the rapper, Azalea eventually called off their engagement in 2016 and admitted to catching Young on security camera footage with other women.

Since then, Young moved on, welcoming four kids with fiancée Keonna Green.

As for Azalea? She, too, became a parent. The "Fancy" hitmaker gave birth to son Onyx with Playboi Carti in 2020.

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Jude Law & Sienna Miller

In 2005, Law publicly apologized to Miller after news broke that he had cheated on her with his children's caretaker. The pair split the following year, but rekindled their romance in 2009 only to separate again in 2011.

The actor has since gone on to father more children (he has seven total) with different women.

Miller got engaged to Tom Sturridge and welcomed daughter Marlowe with him in 2012. However, the couple split 2015.

The actress went on to welcome another daughter with Oli Green in 2024.

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Maria Shriver & Arnold Schwarzenegger

In 2011, fans of the longtime couple were shocked to hear that the actor-turned-California governor confessed to fathering a son, Joseph Baena, with the family housekeeper while still married to Shriver. The journalist filed for divorce months after the scandal broke, and a judge signed off on the final judgement of their separation in 2021.

Despite their split, Schwarzenegger and Shriver have maintained friendly relations and their son Patrick Schwarzenegger has even formed a friendship with Joseph.

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Ime Udoka & Nia Long

Seven years into his engagement with the actress, Udoka was suspended from his role as head coach of the Boston Celtics for the 2022-2023 season after ESPN, citing multiple sources, reported that he had an "intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise's staff."

In response, Udoka took responsibility for his actions and said in a statement, "I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision."

The pair split in December 2022.

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Hank Baskett & Kendra Wilkinson

The former Playboy playmate has said her husband's "naïve and gullible" nature led to an alleged cheating scandal in 2014. Though the pair initially tried to move on from it, Wilkinson—who shares son Hank and daughter Alijah with Baskett—filed for divorce in 2018. Their separation was legally finalized a year later.

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Elin Nordegren & Tiger Woods

Following years as the golf world's biggest star, Woods' personal life came to a screeching halt in 2009 when he confessed to cheating on his wife and mother of his two children with multiple women. He later sought treatment for sex addiction, his marriage to the Swedish model dissolved.

Woods went on to date pro skier Lindsey Vonn for three years before their split in 2015. He was linked to Erica Herman before striking up a relationship with Vanessa Trump.

As for Nordegren, she welcomed a son with NFL star Jordan Cameron in 2019. 

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Fergie & Josh Duhamel

Only nine months into their marriage, the actor faced allegations he had cheated on the Black Eyed Peas singer. Duhamel called the reported one-night stands "absolutely ridiculous" and Fergie admitted to Oprah Winfrey in a 2013 interview that the setback only made their relationship stronger. The Hollywood couple, parents to son Axl, ultimately split in 2017 after 8 years of marriage.

Duhamel went on to date actress Eiza González before tying the knot with Audra Mari in 2022. The Safe Haven star and the former Miss World America welcomed son Shepherd two years later. 

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Brandi Glanville & Eddie Cibrian

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star split from her husband of nine years and the father of their two children in 2009, after he had an affair with singer Leann Rimes on the set of the Lifetime movie Northern Lights.

Though Glanville spent years feuding with her ex and his now-wife, the drama between them has since seemingly subsided. As Glanville explained in 2021, "I think we both grew up a lot because obviously, it was a decade of fighting."

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Ned Fulmer & Ariel Fulmer

Ned, an original member of The Try Guys, parted ways from the popular YouTube comedy group in September 2022 amid rumors that he had cheated on his wife Ariel with someone from his workplace. In a statement released shortly after his departure, the content creator admitted to having a "consensual workplace relationship" and issued an apology "for any pain that my action may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel."

Ariel, who shares two young sons with Ned, shared in a statement of her own, "Nothing is more important to me and Ned than our family and all we request right now is that you respect our privacy for the sake of our kids."

The couple confirmed in 2025 that they had parted ways.

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Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott

Fans of True Tori know the couple's roller coaster romance was brought to a head when her husband cheated on her in 2013 while working in Canada. Though the couple, who share five children together, initially moved past the scandal, they split in 2023.

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Christie Brinkley & Peter Cook

Amid divorce proceedings and a custody battle over their children, Cook admitted to having an affair with his 18-year-old assistant. His divorce with Brinkley was finalized in 2008 after a contentious two-year legal battle.

Brinkley went on to date John Mellencamp, but split with the singer in 2016 after a year together.

As for Cook, he found himself in another cheating scandal in 2014 when his second wife, Suzanne Shaw, accused him of being a serial cheater and issued an apology to Brinkley for not heeding her advice. Cook and Shaw divorced, and the architect married Alba Jancou in 2023.

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Bill Clinton & Hillary Clinton

A year-long "improper physical relationship" between the former U.S. President and White House intern Monica Lewinsky nearly cost him his presidency. Hillary remained by her husband's side throughout the media firestorm that ensued and ran for U.S. President herself in 2016.

Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images

David Letterman & Regina Lasko

In 2009, the Late Show host revealed someone was threatening to blackmail him with information that would've revealed his many extramarital relations with female employees on his show. Letterman confirmed the allegations, and issued an apology to his longtime partner and staff. Letterman and Lasko have remained together, and have one son. 

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Ramona Singer & Mario Singer

After 20 years of marriage, the Real Housewives of New York cast member said goodbye when she caught her husband cheating on her. The reality TV star then turned lemons into pinot grigio, launching her own line of wine and getting involved with AOA Restaurant in the Big Apple.

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