Life’s Work: An Interview with Gayle King

Though she studied psychology in college, King fell in “love, love, love” with television news while working as a production assistant at a local CBS station and then committed to what would become a five-decade career in journalism. After stints producing, reporting for, and hosting local programs, she took to the national stage with her short-lived The Gayle King Show but soon found another home at the media company of her longtime friend Oprah Winfrey. Since 2012, she has anchored CBS Mornings, through changes in cohosts and, most recently, a management shake-up. HBR: Did studying psychology help you to be a better journalist? King: What helped me is being curious. As a kid I was often told, “You’re so nosy. You ask too many damn questions.” I prefer to think of myself as inquisitive. Being open and interested is what makes me me, and it’s why I enjoy my job. People do love to talk about themselves. Even when I’m with a stranger, before long I’ve heard their whole life story. People say, “I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I don’t even know you.” I think that’s because, when I engage in conversation, everyone can tell I’m genuine. But I’m not psychoanalyzing anybody. Are there other keys to building trust with interviewees while getting more out of them than they expect to give? I pride myself on preparation. That’s my superpower. There was one author I interviewed who’d mentioned in his book that, when he and his wife had their first baby, a Bruce Springsteen song was playing in the delivery room. And so, when I greeted him before he came on air, like I do with all my guests, I asked, “Which Springsteen song was it?” And he was instantly caught off guard and flattered. I also give everyone a platform to come in and present themselves and say what they want to say and look good. But I’m not hesitant to call people out if I don’t think they’re telling me the truth, and there’s a way to do that without humiliating them. I’m not a “gotcha” girl. I really do want to help you tell your story. In a competitive business like TV, how do you stand out from your peers? My philosophy has always been to just do my job to the best of my ability. I’m not one to have a five-year plan or strategy or to try to elbow people out or jump over anybody. I do believe that if you’re working hard, someone will notice and say, “Hey, why don’t we give her a shot?” And once they do, if you do your best, they’ll say, “Why don’t we give her something else?” Was it a straight upward trajectory or did you hit some bumps in the road? I’ve had some bumps. I had a national show called The Gayle King Show, and the theme song went “Gayle’s got something to talk about, something to talk about.” Well, it was canceled after a season, and I remember coming home to my son, Will, who was six at the time, and him singing to me, “Gayle’s got nothing to talk about, nothing to talk about.” Of course, the numbers that I got back then people would kill for today, which shows you how the landscape has changed. But it was a big setback. Still, I wasn’t devastated. I had kept my job anchoring the local news because I loved it and wasn’t sure how the show was going to go. So my reaction was, That’s a bummer, but on to the next thing. I’ve never faced any soul-crushing setback, but let’s knock on wood about that because they say that it eventually happens to all of us. The time will come when you hear, “We think you’re great. We love you. You’ve done so much, but we’re moving in a different direction.” Even now you have two jobs: cohost of CBS Mornings and the editor-at-large at Oprah Daily. Do you consciously keep multiple irons in the fire? I didn’t set out to have a backup plan, and I wouldn’t mind having only one job. But I like having these two, so I figured out a way to do both. How do you manage such a crazy schedule—including 3:30 AM wakeups—without burning out? I set the alarm for 3:24 AM, and I need three snoozes. I wear an Apple Watch, but I joke that it only tells me how much sleep I’m not getting. Between my work hours and menopause, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 15 or 20 years. But I don’t have a system. I don’t take naps. I just figure it out. Some days I’m running on fumes, but other days I’m like, I can’t believe that I get to do this. Throughout your career, how have you chosen which stories to cover and persuaded bosses to let you do them? I want to cover the things I’m curious about and the ones that don’t make sense, to shine a light on people that don’t always get one, and to hold people accountable. We have a lot of meetings about what will be covered, and the producers ultimately make those calls. But I have no trouble speaking up to ask, “Why aren’t we covering x, y, and z?” or “Why is this story getting airtime?” When Trayvon Martin was killed years ago an—unarmed 17-year-old just going to the store—and I saw it was not on the rundown, I’m proud that I said, “I really think we should take a second look at this.” We did, and we were the first national network to cover it. That’s why you’ve got to have diverse voices at the table. As you were making your way, did you face any sexism or racism? Not overt. Not to my face. People have said inappropriate things. But they weren’t in a position to affect my career, and that’s key. Of course, the industry was for years dominated by men, and white men in particular, and it still is to some degree. But now there are many more women behind the scenes and on air, and we’re staying for longer. Back in the day, once you hit 35 or 40, it was hard. Well, I’m now 70, and there’s no part of me that’s thinking about retiring or feeling that I’m too old for this. On TV, good chemistry between anchors and between the on-air talent and the producers and crew is so important. How do you build and sustain that? Since I was kid, I’ve always played nicely with others—even the ones who weren’t my cup of tea. There’s no way to force chemistry when it isn’t there. But it’s important to understand that everyone brings something to the table and ask, “How can we all shine here?” At CBS, sometimes it’s taken a minute to get it right, but I think we do that very well. It started out with me, Charlie [Rose], and Erika [Hill]; then it was me, Charlie, and Norah [O’Donnell], and now it’s me, Nate [Burleson], and Tony [Dokoupli]. There have been a lot of changes but, 13 years later, I’m still here. Charlie Rose, your former cohost, was fired after allegations of sexual harassment. What was it about the culture of news or media at that time that allowed that kind of behavior to fly under the radar? And do you think it’s changed? The #MeToo movement changed things. Before that, I think some women were afraid to speak up because they didn’t think they’d be believed. Now they do, and so they’re willing to say, “This happened to me.” With the rise of partisan cable networks, crowdsourced social media content, and now AI-generated summaries, the news business has changed dramatically since you started your career. How have you stayed relevant? It’s tricky because, here at CBS, we really do pride ourselves on giving you the facts and just the facts. I often repeat the saying, “You’re entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.” But today we live in a world where we can’t even agree on the facts, and it’s very hard to navigate. We’re telling you what happened, and we’re showing you videotape, and people say, “No, it didn’t happen that way.” I’m still trying to figure that out. I don’t like extreme partisan politics on either side because most people are in the middle. We want the same things: to be happy and healthy, to thrive, and for our kids to do the same. So I encourage everyone to please do your own due diligence. If you’re just paying attention to one news source, you might not be getting the whole picture. You’ve come under fire a few times, most recently from critics of the 2025 all-female Blue Origin space flight and then from U.S. President Donald Trump. How do you decide whether or not to respond to negative feedback? It depends on the criticism. With Blue Origin, it caught me off guard. When guys took space flights before us, people called them “flights.” But when all women—Lauren Sánchez [now Bezos]; Katy Perry; Aisha Bowe, a rocket scientist; activist Amanda Nguyen; film producer Kerrianne Flynn; and me—did, they called it a “joyride.” I felt most badly for the women who weren’t used to being in the public eye. One of them couldn’t get out of bed for five days because of the blowback. But I know the intention behind what we did. I was honored to be part of it and am proud to have stepped out of my comfort zone. As for the President saying that I had “no talent” and should be fired, I didn’t even know what he was upset with me about. When I walked out of the building to TMZ reporters screaming, “Gayle, what did you think about the President’s comments?” my response was, “I’m sorry he feels that way, but I intend to keep doing my job. Last I checked, I’m now on the list with Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Stephen Colbert. That’s a pretty good list.” Are you worried about the erosion of a free press in the United States? I think the job we do is more important now than ever before, and as long as we are able to do it, we’re still in a good place. It’s troubling, but I don’t think it’s a lost cause. Which managers have you learned the most from? When I was a reporter trainee at a TV station in Washington, DC, I didn’t get a job that I felt I should have. I thought I was a shoo-in because I’d worked there and done a good job and knew the people and thought they liked me. When I didn’t get it, I was stunned, so I went to talk to Jim Snyder, the news director, in his office. Picture a guy leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk, reading the newspaper. I walked in and said, “Mr. Snyder, I’m wondering if you could tell me why I didn’t get this role.” And he said, “Gayle, life ain’t fair. Any more questions?” That response was very useful—even life-changing—because it was so blunt and true. Sometimes you do great work but there are other people they like better, so you have to get over yourself. Did any female mentors pave the way for you? Oh, yes. There was JC Hayward, a news anchor in Washington, DC, and Pam Coulter on WTOP radio, who I interned for. Both would give me pointers, and I won’t forget them. Nobody rises to the top by themselves, and so you remember the people who helped you. How have you and Oprah supported each other’s careers from the earliest days to the heights of success? From when we were 21 and 22 to where we are now, at 70 and 71, we’ve always been able to talk about anything and tell each other the truth. Even though we’re in the same business, we are different—I love the news; the news drives her nuts—so we have no agenda other than “I want you to do well.” We are one another’s biggest cheerleader, and she knows she can trust me. When CBS first approached me, I was working for Oprah’s network, OWN. It had hit a bad patch, and people were coming at her pretty hard. So my first thought was, If I leave, the headline will be “Even Her Best Friend Is Abandoning Ship.” I told her, “I won’t go because it will cause more problems for you.” And she said, “Are you nuts? Don’t be stupid. Grab that job. We will be fine.” I think it speaks to both of us. I was reluctant to do it, and she, without hesitation, was like, “You must.” How are you navigating the shift to new leadership at CBS? I’ll continue to do the best job I can and hope it’s appreciated. The rules of the game may change, but until I know how, I’m not going to walk around afraid or like my hair is on fire. I’m just waiting to see what that means. I’m for anybody that can make CBS better. But what does that look like? What advice do you have for young professionals in media today? Don’t be afraid to take risks—not foolish ones but those that involve betting on yourself. Also, don’t tell me you’re working on your brand. Get a job and do it well. That should be your brand.

Life’s Work: An Interview with Gayle King

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