The name William Bumpus has been trending across social media since May 27, 2026, after CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King gave her most candid and emotionally raw account yet of discovering her then-husband’s infidelity. The story — decades old but still deeply resonant — has captivated audiences worldwide, sparking fresh conversations about betrayal, forgiveness, and resilience. Here is everything you need to know about the William Bumpus affair, from what happened that fateful night in 1990 to where things stand today.
Who Is William Bumpus?
William G. Bumpus is a British-American attorney born in 1954 in Greenwich, South East London, England. Now 71 years old, he built a distinguished legal career spanning more than three decades in the United States. After graduating from law school, he worked as an Assistant Attorney General in Connecticut, then transitioned into civil rights law as a Connecticut Assistant Criminal Prosecutor. He later became the lead attorney representing the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in cases involving child abuse and neglect, and ultimately specialized in the Termination of Parental Rights. As of 2026, he works as a Partner at The Levine Litigation Law Firm in Connecticut, focusing on family law, and lives a quiet, private life largely away from the public eye.
Bumpus is best known publicly as the ex-husband of Gayle King, the iconic CBS Mornings co-anchor and close friend of Oprah Winfrey. The two married in 1982 and together had two children — daughter Kirby Bumpus and son William Bumpus Jr. — before their marriage ended in 1993.
The Marriage: 1982–1993
Gayle King and William Bumpus married in 1982, when King was still building her journalism career. By all outward appearances, it seemed like a stable, happy union. King has since admitted openly that she was genuinely content in the relationship and had no inkling that anything was seriously wrong. On the May 27, 2026 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper, King said plainly that she did not know — insisting that despite the popular assumption that spouses always sense infidelity, she truly did not see it coming.
The Night Everything Changed: June 24, 1990
The defining moment of the William Bumpus affair is one that Gayle King remembers with striking and almost eerie precision — down to the exact date and time. King has recalled that she discovered the betrayal on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 p.m., a detail that speaks volumes about the lasting impact the moment had on her.
The circumstances were almost cinematic. King’s flight had been canceled unexpectedly, sending her home far earlier than planned. When she arrived, she noticed something immediately off — the house alarm had been set. As King recounted on Call Her Daddy, Bumpus never set the alarm, so the detail struck her as strange. Moments later, Bumpus came rushing out of the bedroom wearing only a towel, and moved to physically block her from entering the room, warning her that someone was inside.
King pushed past him and found a woman — a close friend of hers — in the bedroom, also wrapped in a towel, described as wearing King’s own bath towel. Making the betrayal even more devastating, the couple’s two young children — aged just two and three at the time — were at home with their nanny when all of this unfolded.
A Double Betrayal: Her Husband and Her Friend
What made the William Bumpus affair especially painful was not just the infidelity itself, but the identity of the woman involved. This was not a stranger. She was someone King considered a close friend, someone whose children played with King’s own children. The betrayal was therefore doubled — a husband and a trusted friend, both at once.
King has also shared that she eventually told the woman’s husband about the affair. Initially, she had no intention of saying anything, but after consulting with Oprah Winfrey — her first call after discovering the affair — she changed her mind. The husband, whom King referred to as “Richard” in her podcast appearance, was not receptive. He told King she was “delusional and out of touch with reality” and suggested she seek help, a response that compounded an already devastating night.
Marriage Counseling, Reconciliation, and a Second Betrayal
The story does not end with the initial discovery. After King confronted Bumpus, the two did not immediately separate. They attended marriage counseling together, and there was even a brief attempt at reconciliation. However, that attempt ultimately collapsed — because Bumpus cheated again. It was only after this second act of infidelity that King made the final decision to end the marriage for good. The divorce was finalized in 1993.
Bumpus’s Public Apology in 2016
William Bumpus remained largely silent on the matter for over two decades. Then, in July 2016, he released a statement to Page Six in which he publicly acknowledged the affair. He described the act as a “life-altering choice” that had haunted him, and said that though he had dealt with the situation privately for years, he felt the need to issue a public apology for what he called a “major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives.” It was a rare moment of public accountability from a man who has otherwise stayed almost entirely out of the spotlight.
Gayle King’s May 2026 Call Her Daddy Interview: The Most Candid Account Yet
The William Bumpus affair resurfaced in a major way on May 27, 2026, when Gayle King sat down with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast. In what became one of the most widely shared celebrity interview moments of the year, King walked through the full story — the set alarm, the towel, the friend, the children in the house, the call to Oprah — with a blend of raw honesty and dark humor that resonated deeply with listeners. Clips from the interview went viral almost immediately, and Bumpus’s name began trending across platforms.
What struck audiences was not just the drama of the story, but King’s composure and even levity in telling it. She neither minimized the pain nor wallowed in bitterness, instead speaking with the confidence of someone who has long processed a trauma and emerged intact. The reaction online quickly evolved beyond celebrity gossip, with many viewers reflecting on broader themes of trust, betrayal, and the aftermath of being deeply deceived by people you love.
Co-Parenting and Life After the Divorce
Despite the painful circumstances of their split, Gayle King and William Bumpus maintained a cooperative co-parenting relationship for the sake of their children. King has spoken on multiple occasions about the importance she placed on keeping the lines of communication open with Bumpus, even after everything that happened. That commitment appears to have paid off — both children have thrived as adults.
Kirby Bumpus has been seen publicly with her mother at various high-profile events, and William Bumpus Jr. has built an impressive career of his own. He studied at Duke University and earned his MBA from Stanford, before working with major companies including Activision and Headspace. He is now a Partner at Westbound Equity Partners and Managing Partner at Phoenix Rising, and founded reWerk, a nonprofit focused on bridging the digital divide for students.
Where Is William Bumpus Now?
As of 2026, William Bumpus continues to work in the legal field and lives quietly in Connecticut. He has not remarried, maintains no notable social media presence, and rarely gives interviews. He is reportedly enjoying his role as both a father and a grandfather. His net worth is estimated at around $1 million, earned through his long career in law. While Gayle King has only grown in public stature — including her historic 2025 Blue Origin spaceflight — Bumpus has stayed firmly in the background, focused on his career, his family, and a private life far removed from headlines.
Why the William Bumpus Affair Still Matters
More than three decades after that night in 1990, the William Bumpus affair continues to surface in public conversation — not because it is unresolved, but because of what it represents. Gayle King’s willingness to speak about it openly, with humor and without bitterness, has become a kind of cultural touchstone about how people survive profound personal betrayal. The story resonates because it is universal: the shock of deception by someone trusted, the painful path through counseling and attempted repair, and ultimately the decision to move forward with dignity rather than resentment.
King herself has said she is “all healed and not bitter,” and her behavior — building an extraordinary career, raising successful children, and co-parenting respectfully with the man who hurt her — seems to bear that out entirely.
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