Meet William Bumpus, Inside Gayle King’s Painful Divorce Story And Attorney’s Apology After Decades

William Bumpus and Gayle King have generated massive buzz ever since the latter appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast. The CBS Mornings host made a candid appearance on the podcast on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 (ET), and revealed that she caught her ex-husband, William, cheating on her at their own home and with her close friend. For the unversed, Gayle King was married to William Bumpus for 11 years, from 1982 to 1993.

According to reports, Gayle King’s marriage to William Bumpus was the 71-year-old journalist’s only marriage, at least so far. During her appearance on the Call Me Daddy podcast, King explained to Alex Cooper what exactly went down between her and her ex-husband of 11 years, Bumpus. She discussed the details of her marriage breaking down in the early 1990s and revealed how the episode transpired and the impact it left on her. So, as King reflects on what happened, let’s take a look at who her ex-husband, William Bumpus, really is.

What led to Gayle King and William Bumpus’ divorce?

Gayle King recently appeared on an episode of the Call Me Daddy podcast and reflected on what went down between her and her ex-husband, William Bumpus. For the unversed, King and Bumpus first crossed paths at a restaurant in the early 1980s. They eventually married in 1982 and were happily married for over a decade, thought King. The couple’s happy home fell apart when King caught Bumpus cheating on her with one of their close friends, an incident that completely changed her life and the future of their relationship.

During the conversation with Alex Cooper, Gayle King recalled how she found out about her then-husband, William Bumpus’ extramarital affair when she returned from a trip earlier than he had expected. What should have been a loving reunion. However, turned sour as soon as her husband strangely stopped her from entering their bedroom. King recalled that their children were also at their house, but Bumpus insisted that she didn’t come inside. Nonetheless, she walked in, and what she saw broke her heart. She was quoted as saying:

“He comes flying out of the room. He’s got a towel on, and he goes, ‘You can’t come in.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean I can’t come in? What are you talking about?’ I started searching the house because I didn’t believe him. I didn’t believe him. I get down, and there she is, cowering behind the door in my towel, Alex. It was a nice bath sheet.”

William Bumpus’ public apology for Gayle King 

Decades after the incident, William Bumpus issued a public apology for his actions. After Gayle King’s appearance on Call Her Daddy, Bumpus spoke with Page Six on May 27, 2026 (ET) and issued a heartfelt apology. He didn’t just apologise to King but also to their children, Kirby and William, for the pain he had caused King years ago. He admitted that King had the right to talk about what happened and share her story with the world, and was quoted as saying:

“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. [Gayle] has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it.”

However, this was not the first time William Bumpus had issued a public apology over the cheating row. He previously apologised to Gayle King in a statement to ET Online in 2016. At the time he called, the entire incident haunted him, but he praised King for how she had handled the issues between them. He was quoted as saying:

“I have been haunted by this life-altering choice. Though I have dealt with this privately, I publicly apologise for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept our children, as well as my relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority.”

Who is William Bumpus?

After knowing every tragic detail of what happened between Gayle King and William Bumpus, it’s obvious that netizens have grown curious about who the man really is. For the unversed, Bumpus is a Connecticut-based attorney who specialises in child protection and family law cases. He currently serves as a partner with the Wolf and Shore Law Group. However, before joining the group, he served as an assistant attorney general of Connecticut and was especially focused on child protection cases at the time.

Did William Bumpus get married again?

While both Gayle King and William Bumpus have maintained that they share an amicable relationship, little is known about their bond after their divorce. Nonetheless, they have remained focused on co-parenting their children and being there for them. However, amid that, one question has often been raised: Did William Bumpus remarry after his divorce from Gayle King? Well, the answer to that has been unclear, as Bumpus has seemed to maintain a low profile and has been largely absent from public view.

image credit: CallHerDaddy/YT, FilmMagic, GayleKing/IG, WilliamBumpus/IG

What are your thoughts on Gayle King and William Bumpus’ divorce?

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