Gayle King Defended Oprah In A 'Showdown' At Black-Tie Gala After Hearing Negative Comments

Fans of "CBS This Morning" host Gayle King are likely well aware of her long-standing friendship with Oprah Winfrey. Since meeting at a local news station when they were beginning their careers, the two have continued to support each other's choices over the years. Now, a new report has highlighted how loyal King truly is to the former "Oprah Winfrey Show" host.

According to Page Six, the broadcast journalist once attended a black-tie gala that was held in association with Bette Midler’s foundation. While at the event, King reportedly noticed that musician 50 Cent was also present. Due to the fact that the "In Da Club" rapper had previously said negative things about Winfrey, the CBS personality decided to approach him. This, states the publication, resulted in a "showdown" that evening.

"She marched right up to me and basically said, ‘Why you talkin’ [expletive] about my girl?’” he recounts in his upcoming book, "Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter," which is due out April 28.

READ: Oprah Reveals She 'Couldn't Have Remained Friends' With Gayle King If This Happened

After she approached him, the producer stated that he had previously assumed that Winfrey didn't like him due to her critical comments about his type of hip-hop, as she considered it to be violent and misogynistic. Therefore, he told King, he thought he could use the feud as a way to get publicity. As stated in his new book, this is a strategy that he has utilized with various celebrities.

At the gala, he elaborated on this train of thought while speaking with King. “Listen, I’d love to be Oprah’s friend,” he told her, adding, “But if we can’t be friends, could we at least be enemies?”

The nature of his interaction with the "O, The Oprah Magazine" editor inspired him to include positive sentiments about her in the soon-to-be-released work, where he described her as "the real deal — a very sophisticated, secure, and smart lady. She’s never afraid of a situation."

Over the years, the two successful women have spoken about each other in various interviews. Not only did the "CBS This Morning" anchor previously reveal what Oprah had once secretly told her about running for president, but she had also shared the kindest thing the talk show host ever did for her.