Gayle King’s former husband, William Bumpus, has spoken out following renewed attention to a painful moment from their marriage nearly four decades ago.
His response comes after Gayle revisited the experience during a recent appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, where she described coming home early from a trip and discovering signs of infidelity involving a close friend.
Bumpus addressed the situation directly in a public statement, saying:
“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 added that he understands her decision to speak about it now:
“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.”
Bumpus also reflected on their long history together, including their shared role as parents and the support she gave him during his education:
“What I will say is this: I remain endlessly grateful to Gayle. She gave me two of the greatest gifts of my life our daughter Kirby and our son William. It was Gayle who encouraged and supported me through getting my Yale Law degree.
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.”
He went on to note that their relationship as co-parents has remained steady over time:
“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.
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 concluded with a focus on family and personal growth:
“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.”
In her podcast interview, Gayle recounted the moment she said she arrived home unexpectedly early and found her husband wearing only a towel, before later discovering her friend in a similar situation. She also described how he drove the friend to the airport afterward, leaving her at home after the incident.
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