Oprah Tearfully Says Gayle King's "Not Doing Well" After Kobe Backlash

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TV personality Gayle King, guest and Oprah Winfrey attend the 45th NAACP Image Awards presented by TV One at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2014 in Pasadena, California.
Gayle King has been facing heavy criticism following her controversial interview with Lisa Leslie.

Gayle King has been under fire over the last few days after interviewing Lisa Leslie, a long time friend of Kobe Bryant. The interview touched on many points but it was the question about Kobe's rape case that drew many criticisms on social media. She asked whether Lisa Leslie felt conflicted with honoring Kobe's legacy because of the case. The former WNBA champ said no but the subject itself had people like 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Boosie Badazz coming for her on social media. 

Oprah Winfrey addressed this during a recent interview on Today, revealing that the death threats have put Gayle in a bad place. "She is not doing well," Winfrey said tearfully. "She is not doing well because she now has death threats and has to now travel with security. She is feeling very much attacked."

Gayle King recently aired out her displeasure for the interview, calling out CBS for baiting the situation with the promo clip when, in fact, they did a wide-ranging interview covering a variety of topics. King said that the clip, in particular, was taken out of context. According to TMZ, even some of her own staffers said that the interview itself actually painted Kobe in a great light. A rep for CBS said that they did fail Gayle in this situation. "Gayle conducted a thoughtful, wide-ranging interview with Lisa Leslie about the legacy of Kobe Bryant. An excerpt was posted that did not reflect the nature and tone of the full interview. We are addressing the internal process that led to this and changes have already been made," the rep said.

Peep Oprah's clip on the Today show below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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