On Tuesday, Gayle King took to Instagram to provide an update on her best friend Oprah Winfrey’s health, following concerns about the latter’s well-being.
The 69-year-old news anchor had previously shared on CBS Mornings that the 70-year-old media mogul was dealing with a stomach virus and couldn’t join her famous book club segment.
However, in a video chat later that day, King and Winfrey addressed the concerns directly, assuring fans that she was on the mend and not hospitalized as initially believed.
In her Instagram caption, King wrote, “A first for @cbsmornings, announcing @oprah‘s latest book club pick without her!” She went on to explain that Winfrey had been dealing with a stomach virus that caused severe dehydration, requiring an IV drip at the hospital.
Gayle King provided an update on her best friend Oprah Winfrey’s health via Instagram.
The news anchor explained that Winfrey was dealing with a stomach virus.
During their conversation, King clarified that she never intended to imply that Winfrey had been hospitalized, only that she was dealing with a stomach issue. The media mogul confirmed that she had visited the emergency room due to dehydration, unable to keep fluids down.
Winfrey assured fans that she was on the path to recovery, saying, “I’m not 100% [yet]. I’m on my way to 100.”
She also offered a word of caution, sharing that five people in her household had experienced similar symptoms. Winfrey advised viewers to maintain good hand hygiene, as the virus can survive on surfaces like doorknobs and railings for up to ten hours.
Gayle and Winfrey have a close friendship spanning decades; pictured in December 2023.
King expressed that she only shared details of Winfrey’s health to emphasize how committed the latter is to her book club, as she rarely misses those appearances. “I didn’t think it was a big deal,” King assured her friend, to which Winfrey agreed.
The pair’s close friendship was evident as they joked about the flood of concerned emails Winfrey received after King’s initial announcement.
Oprah and King have a close bond; pictured at the 2024 Grammys.
Earlier, on CBS Mornings, King had assured viewers that Winfrey would be fine, and she found herself in the position of introducing novelist David Wroblewski, whose book Familiaris was selected for Winfrey’s book club.
Typically, Winfrey introduces her book club picks herself, but her illness prevented her from appearing on the show. After providing an update on her friend’s health, King lightheartedly expressed her hope that Winfrey wasn’t upset with her for sharing those details.