Gayle King has revealed that her comments about Oprah Winfrey’s recent health issues led to the TV host receiving a flood of messages from her loved ones saying they were ‘praying’ for her as she simply battled a severe case of ‘ diarrhea’.
Earlier this week, Gayle, 69, revealed that best friend Oprah, 70, was in hospital after suffering from ‘some kind of stomach flu’ which caused ‘things to come out of both sides’ while chatting with CBS mornings.
She immediately feared that she might have “offended” Oprah by speaking out about her illness on national television.
And now she has opened up about Oprah’s reaction to her very public confession, insisting the acclaimed TV star was “not mad” at her.
However, she admitted that her comments caused unnecessary concern for Oprah.
Gayle King revealed that her comments about Oprah’s recent health issues led to the talk show host receiving a series of messages from her loved ones saying they were ‘praying’ for her
Earlier this week, Gayle, 69, revealed that her best friend Oprah, 70, was in hospital after suffering from ‘some kind of stomach flu’ during a chat with CBS Mornings (seen)
She said the star told her that numerous friends and family members had contacted her to let her know they were “praying” for her after watching Gayle’s interview, which she said was unnecessary.
“I’m here to tell you that Oprah is doing well,” Gayle said during a recent episode of Sirius XM’s Gayle King in the House.
‘She had a stomach flu. [And] it wasn’t just her, several people around her got stomach flu.
“I said on the air that there was stuff coming from both sides. It was a mess. She had to go to the hospital and was given an IV. She’s fine.’
In response to people accusing her of “oversharing,” Gayle explained that she hadn’t said anything too personal.
“The thing is, I would never have said anything that I wouldn’t say about myself,” she continued. “So I didn’t really mind.”
As for Oprah’s reaction, she explained that the 70-year-old was not angry, but was surprised by the world’s reaction.
“When I called her, she said, ‘I don’t know why people act like diarrhea is unusual. Sometimes people have it,’” Gayle said.
Now she has opened up about Oprah’s reaction to her very public confession, insisting the acclaimed TV star was “not mad” at her.
“When I called her, she said, ‘I don’t know why people act like diarrhea is unusual. Sometimes people have it,’” Gayle said. ‘She wasn’t angry about it’
“She wasn’t angry about it, but it became a… Oprah said to everyone she’s known all her life, from Swaziland to Australia, even childhood friends: [messaged her and said]”Are you okay? I’m praying for you.”
“People are setting up prayer circles. She’s okay. She has had an IV and she is doing really well.’
Gayle revealed that Oprah was sick when she replaced her during an appearance on CBS Mornings.
‘She had some kind of stomach flu, with stuff coming out of both sides. I won’t get too graphic,” she said.
‘But needless to say she ended up in hospital due to dehydration, she had a drip so it was a very serious matter. But she’ll be fine.’
Gayle then added, “I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail.”
Later that day, Gayle took to Instagram to clarify details about Oprah’s condition.
“She had some kind of stomach flu where stuff was coming out of both sides,” Gayle said on CBS Mornings. “But needless to say, she ended up in hospital… it was a very serious matter.”
Later that day, Gayle shared a video of herself FaceTiming with Oprah, who insisted she was definitely not “offended” by Gayle talking about her health.
She also shared a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read, “Oprah is doing well, thanks for asking.”
She shared a video of herself FaceTiming with Oprah, who insisted she was absolutely not “offended” by Gayle talking about her health.
“You tried to explain why I wasn’t there in a definitive way,” Oprah said.
The OWN founder also said that she was not hospitalized, but was in the emergency room due to dehydration.
“I couldn’t keep enough water down to get hydrated so I went to the emergency room for that and that was it,” the star continued.
Gayle then commented, “You’re still a little weak it seems,” and Oprah agreed, adding, “I’m not 100 [per cent]. I’m on my way to a hundred.’
She also revealed: ‘Five people in my household had the same thing. I would say keep washing your hands because I hear it’s transmitted through… the doctor told me that [the virus] lives on the doorknobs and railings for about ten hours.’
Gayle also shared a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read, “Oprah is doing well, thanks for asking.”