Gayle King's ex-husband apologises for infidelity
After Gayle King discussed her ex-husband's infidelity in a new interview, William Bumpus has again apologised for his actions.
Gayle King’s ex-husband has offered his "deepest apologies" to his family for his infidelity.
William Bumpus has spoken out after the 71-year-old broadcaster recalled the pain of catching the attorney cheating with one of her best friends in 1990, and he insisted he believes Gayle had "every right" to speak about the scandal as he stressed his regret at the pain and hurt he caused.
He told TMZ in a statement: “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 [my actions] — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand.
“Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly 40 years ago.
“I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it.”
William is "endlessly grateful" to Gayle - who he divorced in 1993 - for their time together and their subsequent co-parenting relationship.
He continued: “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.”
The attorney noted he and Gayle are "in a good place" today and he will always be a "genuine admirer and fan" of his ex-wife.
He concluded: “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.
“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.”
William spoke out after the CBS Morning anchor recalled the shocking scenario she encountered when she returned home with their kids after a flight was cancelled.
Speaking on Call Her Daddy, she said: "He comes flying out of the room, and he's got a towel on, he goes, 'You can't come in.'
"'What do you mean I can't come in? What are you talking about?' He goes, 'You can't come in. Someone's here.' "
Gayle searched the house because she "didn't believe" what William had told her.
The broadcast journalist said: "I get down, and there they are - or there she is cowering behind the door in my towel. It was a nice bath sheet.
"I said, 'I can't believe that you are here, and that you are doing this. I thought we were friends,' it sounded so pitiful."
Kirby and William Jr. were outside with their nanny at the time, and Gayle asked for them to get away from the house so they did not see their dad and the woman, whom her children knew and referred to as "aunt".
Gayle said if it were not for having two children, it would have been "game over" for her and William.
But the pair "went to counselling, tried to work it out" before they "divorced and got back together".
Gayle added: "And then I realised he hadn't really changed, but I was turning into such a shrew.
"I would be out in the garage feeling the hood of the car to see if it was warm. I was going through his phone. And I thought, 'I don't want to live like this,' only to find out he was cheating again."
She and William divorced in 1993 because Gayle "didn't like who I was. Who wants to live like that? I didn't want to be that person".
