Gayle King has shared an update on best friend Oprah Winfrey's health, pushing back against claims she "overshared" details of the diagnosis.
"I'm here to tell you, favorite listeners, Oprah is okay!" Gayle said on her SiriusXM program, Gayle King In The House, two days after telling fans on CBS Mornings that Oprah was battling a "serious stomach bug".
During the segment, Gayle candidly told viewers "stuff was coming out of both ends," and revealed that Oprah was in hospital on an IV drip. But now the news anchor has cleared up reports that the illness was more serious than first thought, with Gayle joking that Oprah had no issue with fans knowing she was suffering from diarrhea.
Listen to the clip here:
"I didn't overshare, this is the thing. I would've never said anything that I wouldn't say about myself. So I really didn't think it was a big deal. When I called her, told her, she goes, 'I don't know why people are acting like diarrhea is unusual. Sometimes people have it.' So she was not upset about it," Gayle said on the radio show.
"Oprah said, everybody she's ever known her entire life from Swaziland to Australia, childhood friends [were calling and messaging]: 'Are you okay?' I'm praying for you.' People are setting up prayer circles. She's okay. She had an IV drip and she is really, really fine," Gayle insisted.
© Allen J. SchabenOprah had been set to appear on CBS Mornings to unveil her latest book club pick, Familiaris by David Wroblewski.
"Summer is here and I love to settle in with a big book that takes me through the season," she instead wrote on Instagram. "So today I’m thrilled to announce that my next Oprah’s Book Club selection is Familiaris by David Wroblewski!"
© Carmen ValdesThe 70-year-old always unveils the book on CBS Mornings. In a statement a spokesperson confirmed that Oprah is "resting and feeling better every day".
Gayle, 69, and Oprah have been friends since the mid-1970s when they were both journalists at a Baltimore, MD news station. They have remained close friends for almost 50 years, and Oprah praised Gayle's steadfast friendship in 2021 during an emotional appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
"I never had therapy – I had all my therapy on television in front of all of y'all – and what I realized is that Gayle was my regulation, Oprah admitted.
"It makes me want to cry now thinking about it. Every night after the show, I would come home, and I would have these sessions with Gayle where we talked about what happened on the show, or what didn’t happen on the show, and that was the way I kind of regulated myself. So, I would talk to Gayle before bed, and then I would be calmer."
