CBS Mornings host Gayle King, who recently traveled to space on all-female Blue Origin flight, says it's time to cross another item of her bucket list: getting married. The television personality was previously married to William Bumpus, an attorney, from 1982 to 1993, and while she's been in romantic relationships since then, none have ultimately led to a walk down the aisle. Now, she admits, she's ready to find lasting love.
In an interview with People at the TIME 100 gala on April 24, 2025, King was asked what's next on her bucket list. "Getting married," she said. Then, she playfully added, "No, piercing my ears." She didn't share any additional details—like whether or not there's a special someone in the picture right now—but made it clear that focusing on her love life is a priority.
King has previously shared that dating can be difficult for her. "If I could go on a dating app and people didn’t know it was me, but I think it’s hard when you’re a public person,” she said during an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show in May of 2024. “I do think that’s hard. So you just hope a friend of a friend."
She also noted that while she would like to date someone a little younger, she doesn't want anyone in a similar age range to her daughter, Kirby Bumpus, 38, or her son, William Bumpus Jr., 37. "I don’t want to date somebody I could have given birth to," she said.
King also wants a partner who is with her for the right reasons. “You want somebody who celebrates you, who is excited for you, who is very comfortable in their own skin,” she said in the Tamron Hall interview. That's been a problem for her in the past, she has previously admitted. In January of 2024, Entertainment Tonight reported that King stopped seeing a romantic partner because he asked to borrow money from her. "I went on a date. I was really excited, very excited about it," she said. "We'd gone out maybe two months and then he said he really needed to talk to me. He wanted to have a private conversation…[he said], 'Do you think you could lend me $4,000?' I’m like, 'Oh god.'" Though she did give the man the money, it soured her feelings on him as a potential long-term partner.
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If marriage is in the near future, King is well-equipped to start planning. Her son, William, tied the knot last spring, on June 2, 2024, and King was undoubtably part of the planning process, which took place at Oprah's home.
