William Bumpus has issued a public apology to his ex-wife, television news anchor Gayle King, for an affair that occurred nearly 40 years ago.
The apology addresses a long-standing family trauma and the public reconciliation of a high-profile marriage. It follows King's own public recounting of the events that led to the dissolution of their relationship.
Bumpus made his apology public during a May 27, 2024, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast [2]. The affair in question was discovered in 1990 [1], when Bumpus cheated on King with one of her friends at King's home [3]. The couple had been married for 11 years, from 1982 to 1993 [4].
Bumpus described the incident as a painful moment that forever changed the trajectory of the marriage and the family [5]. In his statement, he said, "My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife" [5].
King, who was 71 at the time of her comments [6], reacted to the public gesture with a mix of shock and gratitude. She said, "I was surprised, but I can also say I appreciated what he had to say" [6].
Some reports indicate this was the first public apology from Bumpus, while others describe it as a second apology following King's initial retelling of the story [5, 7]. Despite the contradictions in the number of apologies, the core of the message remained a request for forgiveness for the disruption caused to their children and spouse.
“"I was surprised, but I can also say I appreciated what he had to say."”
This public exchange highlights the intersection of celebrity transparency and private family healing. By utilizing a modern podcast platform to address a decades-old betrayal, the parties are attempting to provide closure not only for themselves but for their adult children, shifting the narrative of the 1990 scandal from one of betrayal to one of accountability.
