Gayle King’s ex-husband, William Bumpus, has finally owned up to his past mistakes, a day after the veteran journalist revisited the painful moment she caught him cheating during their marriage.
In a statement shared with Page Six on Wednesday, Bumpus apologised to King and their family for the pain caused by his past actions.
“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,” he began. “Those actions were mine.”
Bumpus went on to say King “has every right to share the painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago.”
The attorney, who was married to King from 1982 to 1993, also expressed gratitude for their relationship and the family they built together. The former couple share two children — daughter Kirby and son Will.
He credited King for supporting him during his studies at Yale Law School and praised their ability to successfully co-parent following their split.
“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 carried us all these years,” Bumpus said.
He added that he and King “remain in a good place” today and noted that the journalist recently sent birthday wishes to his 16-year-old daughter, Poet.
William Bumpus On Gayle King’s Public Life
At the end, Bumpus admitted that he did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life during their marriage because he is “a private person by nature.” But he added that it was “no reflection on her true talent and abilities.”
“In fact, I continue to be a genuine admirer and fan,” he said, adding that he had a “front-row seat” to King’s successful career.
“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,” he concluded.
What Did Gayle King Say?
His statement came shortly after King recalled the moment she discovered his infidelity with a good friend during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
“I came home and caught him,” King said during Wednesday’s episode, recalling that she confronted the woman involved, who was wrapped in a towel at the time.
She recalled saying, “‘I can’t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I can’t believe that you are doing this.’ And I even said, ‘I thought we were friends!’ It sounded so pitiful.”
King first publicly discussed the incident in 2016, and Bumpus has previously apologized for his actions.
