Oprah and Gayle Open Up About Friendship and Address Lesbian Rumors

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King recently addressed long-standing rumors about their 50 year long friendship and sexuality during an appearance on Melinda French Gates’ podcast, “Moments That Make Us.”

The two media icons shared insights into their bond and how they’ve handled public speculation over the years.

“You know, for years, people used to say we were gay, and listen, we were up against that forever,” Winfrey, 70, said. “And people still may think it.”

During the interview, Gayle admitted that the rumors made dating difficult for her.

“I used to say, ‘Oprah, you gotta do a show on this, because it’s hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night with people thinking we’re gay,’” she shared. “Because if we were gay, we’d tell you!”

Oprah believes the rumors circulated because most people “aren’t accustomed to seeing women” have such a strong bond, which she called a “truth bond.”

She explained, “The reason why I think our friendship has worked is because 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. And I feel as happy as she does — I can’t be happier than, cannot surpass Gayle,” she jokingly added. “You cannot out-happy her. I am equally as happy for her.”

The two women agreed that friendships like theirs are rare, which is why the rumors of their sexuality started in the first place.

Their candid chat has shed light on the deep bond they share and how society often struggles to understand strong, platonic female friendships.

Check out the clip below for the full interview.