Gayle King's Ex-Husband Apologizes After She Reflects on Their Painful Split

Gayle King’s ex-husband, William Bumpus, is speaking out after the longtime TV personality publicly revisited the painful cheating scandal that ended their marriage decades ago.

Following King’s candid appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Bumpus released a statement taking responsibility for his past mistakes.

“My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago,” he said in a statement to Page Six. “Those actions were mine.”

He shared, “Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it.”

Despite the heartbreak that surrounded the end of their marriage, Bumpus expressed gratitude for the life they built together and the family they share.

The attorney praised King for being a supportive partner throughout his time studying at Yale Law School and credited her for helping create a strong co-parenting relationship after their split.

“And it was Gayle who chose, with me, to co-parent successfully from the very beginning — a testament to our shared commitment to our children above all else, and now our grandchildren,” he explained. “The love and camaraderie we forged in that work carried us all these years.”

Bumpus also admitted he struggled at times with King’s growing fame because he has always considered himself more private. The lawyer noted he didn’t fully understand King’s public career during their marriage and often wished their personal life had stayed out of the spotlight.

Still, he made it clear he has respect for his ex-wife and her success.

In fact, Bumpus called himself “a genuine admirer and fan” who has had a “front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success.”

“I continue to work at being the best version of myself, grounded by the friendship, encouragement, and support of Gayle over the years, by the love of our grown children and our grandchildren, and by the daily privilege of raising Poet as a single dad,” he concluded, referring to his 14-year-old son.

As OK! previously reported, King got emotional while discussing the affair during the Wednesday, May 27, episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

During the interview, the CBS Mornings co-host recalled discovering Bumpus with one of her close friends after unexpectedly returning home when her flight was canceled. King explained that she walked into the house with their children and immediately sensed something was wrong.

According to the TV star, Bumpus came downstairs wearing only a towel and urged her to leave the home.

Feeling confused and “oblivious” at first, King searched the house and found her friend “cowering behind the door in my towel.”

The journalist admitted the moment left her feeling “pitiful.”

“I can’t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I even said, ‘I thought we were friends!’” King recalled telling the woman.

Because her children were home at the time, King focused on shielding them from the chaos unfolding around her.

“Well, because I was thinking, 'The kids are here. I don't want anybody to know,'” she explained when asked how she managed to stay calm. “That was my main thought. I don't want anybody to know.”

The situation became even more complicated because the other woman was married as well. When King threatened to call the woman’s husband, Bumpus reportedly tried to stop her.

“He goes, 'Don't call because they have a good marriage,'” King recalled.

She then fired back, “They have a good marriage? The girl's pajama bottoms are in my bed.”

Shocked by the entire ordeal, King said Oprah Winfrey was the only person she immediately turned to for support.

“She said, 'Well, f--- him. Call her husband,'” King remembered.

However, when King contacted the man, he reportedly dismissed her accusations and called her “delusional.”