Oprah Winfrey on Her Bond with Gayle King: ‘If We Were Gay, We’d Tell You!

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King have shared a strong friendship spanning over 50 years, initially bonding as aspiring journalists at the WJZ station in Baltimore. Over the years, their close relationship has sparked rumors and speculation about their sexual orientation. However, Winfrey and King recently addressed these rumors during an interview with billionaire philanthropist and former Microsoft manager, Melinda French Gates.

In the “Moments That Make Us” segment, Winfrey candidly confessed, “You know, for years, people used to say we were gay…And listen, we were up against that forever, and people still may think it.” She emphasized, “Because if we were gay, we’d tell you!” Gayle King added, “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!'”

Melinda Gates, who will celebrate her 60th birthday this year, recorded a special edition series with her close friends, including the two BFFs. “To celebrate turning 60, I sat down with seven women I admire—Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Billie Jean King, Reese Witherspoon, Ava DuVernay, and Megan Rapinoe—to ask them about their biggest life transitions,” she wrote on X.

During the interview, Winfrey reflected on her bond with King, noting that they have shared nearly everything without any significant hurdles. Discussing the dynamics of their friendship, Winfrey highlighted the absence of jealousy in their relationship. “The reason why I think our friendship has worked is that Gayle is happier, not happy, but happier for me for any kind of success, or victory, or challenge I get through than I am for myself,” she said.

“And I feel as happy as she does…I can’t be happier than, cannot surpass Gayle. You cannot out-happy her. I am equally as happy for her.” According to the Daily Mail, Winfrey suggested that the unusual closeness of their bond might be why people speculated about their sexual orientation, saying that people “aren’t used to seeing women with this kind of true bond.”

King, for her part, explained that she keeps their friendship real. “In Oprah’s life, everybody is always very flattering and is always very agreeable with things that she says,” she noted. “And sometimes I’ll just go, ‘That’s just not true. Your hair does not look good.’” King was perplexed by the rumors about their bond, as she never considered her relationship with Winfrey to be extraordinary. “I just assumed everybody had a really good friend,” she said. “I just assumed every woman – maybe not for men – but I just assumed every woman had at least one.”

Winfrey had previously addressed these rumors in 2006, telling the New York Post, “I understand why people think we’re gay…There isn’t a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it – how can you be this close without it being sexual?… How else can you explain a level of intimacy where someone always loves you, always respects you, admires you?”

Additionally, in a 2010 interview with Barbara Walters, Winfrey tearfully stated, “I’m not lesbian. I’m not even kind of lesbian.” She expressed irritation at the rumors, believing they implied she was lying. “That’s not the way I run my life,” she concluded, asserting that if she were gay, she would not hide it.