Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey have been best friends for years. Recently, however, King seemingly broke the bestie code after revealing what she thought was too much information about Winfrey’s health. On Tuesday, the 70-year-old was to appear on King’s show CBS Mornings. However, the television personality couldn’t keep the appointment due to a health issue. It turns out Oprah Winfrey was hospitalized due to dehydration caused by a stomach virus. King made the revelation on the show while explaining her pal’s absence.
“She had some kind of stomach thing – stomach flu – stuff was coming out of both ends. I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV. It was a very serious thing,” the anchor said. While King noted that Winfrey was going to “rally” from the stomach virus, she said her friend still needed time to rest. “She will be okay. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail. But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and that it really bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today,” King said.
Hours after the show, the 69-year-old took to her Instagram page with a clip, showing her chatting with Winfrey on a video call about the health update. In the video, King insisted that she didn’t say Oprah Winfrey was hospitalized. The icon explained that she only meant her friend went to the hospital for an IV. According to King, seeing headlines about Winfrey being very ill and hospitalized was surprising. Later, during Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey’s conversation, the former asked if the health update offended her bestie.
“Were you offended because I said what I said about what happened and how you’re recovering?” King asked Winfrey. The onscreen star continued, noting that she didn’t think it was a big deal or something that would upset Winfrey otherwise, she wouldn’t have said it. Thankfully, Winfrey shared the same sentiments, revealing she understood why King gave the update. Winfrey concluded by advising the public to always wash their hands, as one could easily contract the illness by contacting an infected person. It is great to see that Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey remain besties. Here’s wishing Winfrey a quick recovery from her illness.
