Gayle King's Ex William Bumpus Sr. Apologizes For Cheating
Gayle King Walked In On Her Husband & Her Best Friend In HER Towel — Now He’s Begging For Forgiveness Decades Later
William Bumpus Sr., Gayle King’s ex-husband, issued a lengthy apology on May 27, the same day the CBS News anchor appeared on the Call Her Daddy Podcast, where she shared a painful story about Bumpus cheating with her close friend.
Gaye King’s ex-husband issued an apology to her and their children.
Bumpus, who was married to King from 1982 to 1993, told TMZ on Wednesday that he deeply regrets his past behavior and apologized directly to Gayle and their children, William and Kirby.
“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. Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand,” 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.”
Although their marriage ended years ago, Bumpus said he remains “endlessly grateful to Gayle” for their children and for the support she gave him throughout their relationship.
“It was Gayle who encouraged and supported me through getting my Yale Law degree,” he continued. “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. The love and camaraderie we forged in that work have carried us all these years.”
Gayle King’s Cheating Story: What Happened?
On Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy, King opened up to host Alex Cooper about the heartbreaking moment she discovered Bumpus cheating with one of her close friends.
According to King, the incident happened after a business trip was unexpectedly canceled, prompting her to return home earlier than planned. When she entered the bedroom, she found her friend there wearing one of her bath towels. Moments earlier, Bumpus had rushed out wrapped in a towel himself, warning her: “You can’t come in, someone’s here.”
Shocked and devastated, King recalled confronting her former friend.
“I can’t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. And I even said, ‘I thought we were friends!’” she remembered telling the woman.
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King said her first priority was protecting her children, Kirby and Will, who were toddlers at the time, and keeping the situation private. Still, she wanted answers. After discovering the affair, she told Bumpus she intended to call the other woman’s husband.
According to King, Bumpus pleaded with her not to, insisting that “they have a good marriage,” and claiming the woman’s husband believed she was “away at a conference.”
King responded bluntly:
“They have a good marriage? The girl’s pajama bottoms are in my bed,” she recalled saying.
According to USA Today, King and Bumpus divorced following the alleged affair and briefly reconciled afterward. However, the television personality later realized “he hadn’t really changed.” They officially finalized their divorce in 1993.
Notably, when Alex Cooper asked the anchor whether she had been happy in her marriage before discovering her ex-husband’s infidelity, she answered yes.
“I was happy. And you know how they say the wife always knows? I swear to God I did not… It’s not like we hadn’t had arguments or anything, but I didn’t think it was in such disrepair that he was boinking around,” she told Cooper.
In his apology, William Bumpus claimed he and Gayle King are still cordial.
In his apology, Bumpus acknowledged that while infidelity ultimately ended their marriage, he and King have remained cordial over the years.
“Nearly four decades later, that commitment has only deepened, and Gayle and I remain in a good place. She recently sent warm wishes to Poet, my teenage daughter, on her 16th birthday, which meant a great deal to us both,” he revealed. “As a private person by nature, I will admit that during our marriage I did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life — I wanted ours to be more private, and that was something I wrestled with, and no reflection on her true talent and abilities. I am proud to have had a front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success, and I remain a genuine admirer and fan.”
He added, “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. That is where my focus remains — on my family, on my clients, and on the work ahead.”
Gayle King’s cheating story was crazy. Do you think William Bumpus’ apology was sincere? Tell us in the comments section.
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