Last Updated on February 29, 2024
Gayle King is an American television personality, broadcast journalist, actress, and author.
King is probably best known for her hosting roles on CBS News. She currently co-hosts the network’s flagship morning program, CBS Mornings.
Gayle King Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Gayle King |
| Popular Name: | Gayle King |
| Nicknames: | N/A |
| Birth Date: | December 28, 1954 |
| Age: | 67 years |
| Parents: | Scott King and Peggy King |
| Siblings: | Had three unidentified younger sisters |
| Birth Place: | Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | African-American |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Education: | Menlo-Atherton High School and The University of Maryland |
| Marital Status: | Divorced; was married to Connecticut attorney William G. Bumpus (from 1982 until their divorce in 1993) |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Children: | Kirby Bumpus and William Bumpus Jr. |
| Net Worth: | USD 40 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Television Hosting, Broadcasting, Acting, Writing, and Other Ventures |
| Height: | 5′ 3″ (1.60 m) |
| Weight: | In kilograms: 75 kg; In pounds: 165 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Gayle King was born on December 28, 1954, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States, to Scott King and Peggy King. Her father worked in the US military and later became an electrical engineer, whereas her mother was a homemaker.
King attended Menlo-Atherton High School. She later graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland.
Journalism and Television Career
Gayle King began her television career as a production assistant at Baltimore-based WJZ-TV. She later trained as a television reporter at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.
King’s next professional engagement was as a weekend television anchor and general-assignment correspondent at WDAF-TV. She subsequently became a news anchor for WFSB based in Hartford, Connecticut, and went on to work for the news outlet for 18 years.
Gayle King’s early television career includes a stint as ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ correspondent. She also served as a co-host of an NBC daytime talk show called ‘Cover to Cover,’ working alongside Robin Wagner.
In 1997, King began hosting her own syndicated television talk show – The Gayle King Show. However, the program ceased production after the first season due to low ratings.
In 2006, King became the host of a new show also titled ‘The Gayle King Show,’ which was aired on XM Satellite Radio. On January 3, 2011, she began hosting yet another television talk show titled ‘The Gayle King Show,’ this time aired on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). However, the new program was canceled on November 17 that year after King was hired to co-anchor ‘CBS This Morning’.
Shortly before joining CBS, Gayle King served as a special correspondent for Good Morning America. She finally signed a deal with CBS on November 10, 2011, and subsequently began co-hosting CBS This Morning on January 9, 2012.
In January 2022, King extended her contract with CBS. The new deal saw her become a co-anchor of CBS Mornings.
Other Ventures
Gayle King has also made several film and television appearances besides her hosting and broadcasting roles.
King made her film debut in an uncredited role of churchgoer in the 1985 movie ‘The Color Purple.’ In 2004, she appeared as a media icon in the film ‘The Manchurian Candidate.’ She was later featured in episodes of the television shows 30 Rock (2012), Being Mary Jane (2015), and Saturday Night Live (2015).
In 2016, King appeared as herself in the film ‘The Boss.’ Her next film role was in the 2019 movie Queen and Slim. She also featured in episodes of Queen Sugar (2017 and 2021), The Game (2021), and Billions (2022).
As an author, Gayle King is best known for being a long-term editor of O, The Oprah Magazine. She has been the magazine’s editor since 1999.
Gayle King’s Net Worth
Gayle King has a net worth of $40 million, as at November 1, 2022. Her fortune is largely attributable to salaries from various television roles, including hosting, broadcasting, and acting.
From 2014 to 2019, King earned $5.5 million in annual gross salary from CBS alone. That translates to roughly $30 million for the period. Coupled with her other endeavors during the same period, the CBS Mornings host might have easily earned around $35 million.
In May 2019, it emerged that King had negotiated a new contract with CBS that would see her annual salary leap to $11 million. Her new salary was enough to make her one of CBS’ highest-earning hosts in the network’s history.
Gayle King has also flipped a few real estate properties during her professional career.
In 2008, King purchased a 2,500-square-foot penthouse in Manhattan for $7 million. The property included two fireplaces, a wraparound terrace, and a slew of other nifty amenities.
Later that year, Gayle listed her 10,000-square-foot Greenwich, Connecticut home for around $7.5 million. She had purchased the house in 2000 for $3.6 million.
Lessons from Gayle King
1. Seek out resourceful friendships
Gayle King met Oprah Winfrey while working as a production assistant at WJZ-TV in the mid-‘70s. The two have been close friends since then. In a previous interview with Barbara Walters, Winfrey described King as the mother she never had and a sister anyone would wish to have. That only goes to show how close the two television personalities are.
2. You’ve got to contend with numerous setbacks on your path to success
King is undeniably one of America’s most famous female figures on television. But it’s interesting to know that quite a few of her hosting projects had to be canceled for garnering deplorably low ratings. Examples include the NBC talk show ‘Cover to Cover’ and her very own first talk show ‘The Gayle King Show.’
3. Never let failure put you down
Gayle King has hosted several failed television talk shows. But she has always found a way to pick herself up, dust herself off, and press on. Her determination is the reason she was able to land a lucrative hosting gig at CBS.
Famous Quotes by Gayle King
• I know for sure that nothing is guaranteed. Life always changes. I know for sure that I’m open to all possibilities always… let’s just say my life is never boring.
• The dream for any parent is you want to raise happy, healthy, responsible, compassionate, kind kids. We all have a responsibility to do that.
• The joy of reading can take you so many different places.
• We’re all spending way too much of our time and energy trying to fight the stuff we can’t change.
• When people don’t want the best for you, they are not the best for you.
Summary
Gayle King is one of America’s top female television personalities renowned for breaking the glass ceiling in a once-male-dominated profession. King’s hosting talents have earned her both fame and fortune. Her current net worth is $40 million.
