Gayle King Says Oprah Winfrey Lesbian Rumors 'Used to Really Bother Me'

Gayle King addressed the longtime speculation about her and friend Oprah Winfrey being romantically involved on an episode of Call Her Daddy

NEED TO KNOW

• King admitted that the rumors "used to really bother me" and shared why that's no longer the case

• "I've now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me," King said

There are some rumors that no longer botherGayle King.

The veteran journalist, 71, appeared on the Wednesday, May 27 episode ofCall Her Daddyand addressed the persistent rumors that her relationship withOprah Winfreyis not simply platonic. HostAlex Cooperasked King, "Tell me how that feels when you guys have had to handle those headlines, handle those rumors, handle that speculation."

"It used to really bother me," King admitted. "I was recently divorced, and there was —The National Enquirerdid a story about, that's the reason for the divorce, because they're secretly gay. Number one, if we were gay, we would tell you because, believe me, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just, I prefer a man."

As both King and Winfrey, 72,have previously said, theCBS Morningshost reiterated that if they were gay and romantically involved, "We would tell you."

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King revealed that she used to ask Winfrey to shut the rumors down on her show. She would tell her, "You've got to say something on your show because it's hard enough for me to get a date on a Saturday night, and now people think I'm a lesbian. You've got to say something."

Winfrey insisted that they "leave it alone" rather than address it, which King felt was "fine for you to say, you have somebody. I don't.”

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"So it used to really bother me. And now, even today, there's still people that say, 'Well, you know, the truth is...' I don't care," she said. "I've now gotten to the point in my life that very few things get to me."

Instead, King is focused on making sure "I feel good about what I'm doing, the people I respect and trust are OK with it — who will say, 'Well, Mom, maybe you shouldn't have done that,' or somebody whose opinion I value," she said. "Otherwise, you'll drive yourself nuts. So now I really don't care."

Winfrey and King's friendship began nearly 50 years ago, when they were both working at WJZ-TV in Baltimore. Winfrey, who was 22, offered for then-21-year-old King to crash at her apartment as a snowstorm was approaching.

"We ended up talking all night long," Winfrey told PEOPLE. "We've literally been friends ever since."

Their friendship has become something of a phenomenon. "I always get, 'This is my Oprah.' It's one of the biggest compliments," King told PEOPLE.

"And I always get, 'This is my Gayle,'" Winfrey said. "I understand what that means: long-term, standing in the gap, no matter what I'm here for you."

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May 27, 2026

Gayle King Says Oprah Winfrey Lesbian Rumors 'Used to Really Bother Me'

Gayle King addressed the longtime speculation about her and friend Oprah Winfrey being romantically involved on an episode of Call Her ...

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Gwyneth Paltrow Calls Being an Empty Nester 'Really Hard,' Says She 'Fell Off a Cliff' When Her Kids Moved Out

Gwyneth Paltrow says adjusting to life as an empty nester has been emotionally challenging but rewarding

NEED TO KNOW

• Her daughter Apple Martin, 22, recently graduated from Vanderbilt and will appear in a Nancy Meyers movie

• Son Moses Martin is currently a sophomore at Brown University and is pursuing music with his band People I've Met and is signed to Interscope Records

Gwyneth Paltrowis keeping it real with how she's handling life as an empty nester.

The 53-year-old Goop founder got candid during an interview on theTodayshow on Wednesday, May 27, calling the experience of seeing her kids go off into the world “really hard.”

“I really struggled when they all went and then I thought, ‘Okay, I'm all good,' ” she admitted. “And then in September again, I kind of fell off a cliff for the second time. But now I feel like, it's what you want to happen. It's what you hope will happen that they will go off to their next phase of life and find their people.”

Paltrow shares daughterApple Martin, 22, and sonMoses Martin,20, with her ex-husband, Coldplay frontmanChris Martin.

“But it's hard as a mother. You have to reorient around what's ... because you're so focused on the kids and their schedules and their emotional health,” she explained.

Apple graduated from Vanderbilt University earlier this month and has already has a film role lined up in anupcoming Nancy Meyers movie.

“I'm really proud of her. It's really thrilling,” Paltrow said of her eldest child.

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As for Moses, he is a sophomore at Brown University, but is also pursuing his budding music career.

“He signed to Interscope Records. He's in an amazing band, they're called People I've Met, and he's such a nice boy,” Paltrow said, grinning.

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As for the Oscar winner's advice for her kids about entering the entertainment industry, Paltrow kept it simple.

“It's hard. It's a difficult road, but it's worth pursuing if it's their absolute truth,” she said, before adding, “[Do] not read anything about themselves.”

This isn't the first time Paltrow has gotten candid about her struggles with being an empty nester. In 2024, she answered a fan's question about her kids leaving home on her Instagram Stories.

"Thank you for asking,"the actress replied in a video at the time."It's very different. I have waves of grief and sadness."

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May 27, 2026

Gwyneth Paltrow Calls Being an Empty Nester 'Really Hard,' Says She 'Fell Off a Cliff' When Her Kids Moved Out

Gwyneth Paltrow says adjusting to life as an empty nester has been emotionally challenging but rewarding NEED TO KNOW ...

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Federal court blocks Alabama plan for new congressional districts that could help Republicans

Federal judges on Tuesday blocked Alabama’s plan touse a congressional mapthat could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House race in the midterm elections.

Election 2026 Redistricting

A three-judge panel in the state’s long-running redistricting case issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from switching maps, ruling that the Republican-backed plan “intentionally discriminated based on race” by including only one Black-majority district. The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents compose a majority or close to it.

“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the judges wrote.

The ruling is a setback for Republicans, who want to use a map for the November midterms that would give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state will immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. He contended the judges had no basis for their decision to block what he described as a “blandly unobjectionable congressional map.”

“Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when,” Marshall said.

Figures said he is pleased with the ruling, adding: “This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled.”

The court order is the latest development in the twisting legal and political saga following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana andweakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicansin several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

Alabama court fight stretches back several years

The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.

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After the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map's use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama's May 11 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination. It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The decision to temporarily block the map switch came after a seven-hour hearing Friday in which judges sharply questioned state lawyers about the timeline and the impact of the Louisiana ruling.

Using the same districts that had been in place for the previous election would prevent “an expensive, aggressive, and perhaps logistically impossible voter reassignment effort,” the judges wrote.

“Candidate and voter confusion is troublesome and warrants significant consideration, but we do not see that a preliminary injunction will worsen it. To the contrary, we expect a preliminary injunction to lessen it,” the judges said.

Deuel Ross, director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said the court ruling “again vindicated the constitutional rights of voters in the Black Belt, and our clients look forward to voting under a fair map this fall.”

Redistricting changes affect primaries in several states

Other states also have considered adjustments to their primary elections to allow time for congressional redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for May 16, werepostponeduntil later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry so that state lawmakers could consider a new U.S. House map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.

In South Carolina, the Republican-led legislature is considering a plan that could throw out the votes from its June 9 congressional primary and instead hold a new primary in August under revised districts that could improve Republicans’ chances of winning an additional seat.

Tennessee also moved quickly to enact new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling, carving up a Black-majority districtbased in Memphisthat had elected the state’s only Democratic representative.The new mapgives Republicans a chance to sweep all nine of the state’s seats. As part of the plan, Tennessee temporarily reopened the candidate qualifying period for its August congressional primaries, allowing new candidates to enter the race and existing ones to either switch districts or drop out.

Since Trump first urged Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last summer, about a half-dozen Republican-led states have enacted new voting districts, though some still face legal challenges. Democrats countered with new districts in California and also expect to gain a seat from new court-imposed districts in Utah.

byNeo

in

May 26, 2026

Federal court blocks Alabama plan for new congressional districts that could help Republicans

Federal judges on Tuesday blocked Alabama’s plan touse a congressional mapthat could give Republicans an advantage in a key U.S. House ...

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Jordyn Woods Admits Fans Will ‘Start Blaming’ Her If Knicks Lose Because She Changed Her Outfit

Jordyn Woods opened up about the strategy behind her outfits for New York Knicks games when she attends in support of her fiancé, Karl-Anthony Towns

NEED TO KNOW

• The model explained to Vogue why she doesn't switch up her looks, especially amid the Knicks' winning streak in pursuit of the 2026 NBA Championship title

• She and Towns announced their engagement in December 2025

Jordyn Woodsis superstitious when it comes to her style.

The fiancée of New York Knicks starKarl-Anthony Townsopened up about her game-day routine as her partner's team continues its epic run to the NBA Championship Finals and revealed the strategic reason she doesn't drastically switch up her looks.

"Once playoffs start, everything becomes part of the ritual if we keep winning,” Woods, 28, toldVogueafter Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where Towns, 30, and the Knicks won 109–93 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Understandably, Woods — who announced herengagement to Towns at Christmaslast year — doesn't foresee herself swapping out her "lucky" accessories anytime soon because they have consistently led to consecutive victories for the Knicks.

"We're nine wins in, and now I have my lucky Woods by Jordyn bag, my game-day GRWMs on TikTok, and a watch I refuse to take off. At this point, I'm not risking changing anything," she said. "I created a sample of the Tux Clutch Mini specifically for the playoffs."

"I wore it for Game 1 during one of my TikTok GRWMs, and ever since then we've kept winning, so now it's officially become the lucky bag," she added of her orange ostrich clutch.

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Woods even noted that fans will call her out if the Knicks lose because she wasn't wearing the bag.

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"It's gotten to the point where if people don't see me carrying it during a close game, they start blaming me for changing the routine. So let's just say the bag isn't leaving my side anytime soon," she revealed.

While her bag is a courtside staple, the rest of her outfits are pretty spontaneous. In fact, she tends to work best against the clock.

"My outfits are completely mood-based. Usually there's one piece I know I want to wear, and then I build the look around it," she told the outlet. "Most of the time I'm putting everything together an hour before I leave the house. Somehow the pressure always makes the look better."

Woods' game-day looks are fashion-forward, but they're also stylishly supportive of Towns. Whether it's incorporating the power forward's number into a garment or sporting his name on her sleeve, she's always repping custom clothing to games.

“My favorite pieces usually start as an idea in my head and come to life with the help of an incredible tailor who can execute the vision,” she shared. "I'll literally bring her a T-shirt or a pair of jeans and we'll start cutting, pinning, and rebuilding it from there."

She added, "I love the collaborative process of turning something simple into a one-of-one piece."

On Monday, May 25, the Knicks locked their spot in the 2026 NBA Finals after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130–93. New York swept the Eastern Conference Finals 4-0, advancing to the championships for the first time since 1999.

Woods wore a classic Knicks bomber jacket, a white tank with Towns' No. 32 on it, denim jeans and orange sneakers. Shesmiled and posed with the basketball starafter the big win.

Read the original article onPeople

byNeo

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May 26, 2026

Jordyn Woods Admits Fans Will ‘Start Blaming’ Her If Knicks Lose Because She Changed Her Outfit

Jordyn Woods opened up about the strategy behind her outfits for New York Knicks games when she attends in support of her fiancé, Karl-...

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