Gayle King detailed the devastating moment she walked in on her ex-husband cheating on her with a good friend.

“I came home and caught him,” the journalist said of ex William Bumpus, to whom she was married from 1982-1993, while on Wednesday’s episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

She told the other woman, who was in a towel, “‘I can’t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I can’t believe that you are doing this.’ And I even said, ‘I thought we were friends!’ It sounded so pitiful.”

Gayle King sits in a pink chair during an interview, with a microphone in front of her.
Gayle King (pictured here on Wednesday) shared that she walked in on her now ex-husband, William Bumpus, cheating on her before their 1993 divorce.Call Her Daddy/Youtube

Two men smiling on a beach with palm trees.
William Bumpus (pictured here with their son William Bumpus Jr.) caught the attorney with her friend after arriving home early from a work trip.Instagram/William Bumpus

To make matters worse, King accidentally triggered their home alarm system when she got there.

The cops who arrived on scene asked for the anchor’s autograph after recognizing her from the local news.

“I wanted to say, ‘Could you take out the trash?’ But I didn’t,” King, 71, recounted to host Alex Cooper, adding that she didn’t want the police to know what was happening. “I just wanted to get them in and out as quickly as possible.”

For King, the most important part was to protect her children — daughter Kirby, now 40, and son Will, now 39.

Gayle King with her children, Kirby Bumpus and William Bumpus Jr., at the Time 100 Gala.
The reporter’s main focus was to protect her children, Kirby and Will (pictured here together in 2019).FilmMagic

Gayle King on a podcast, sitting in a pink chair with a microphone in front of her.
The anchor, however, did want to call her friend’s husband to let him know what his wife did.Call Her Daddy/Youtube
Despite wanting to keep the attorney’s affair under wraps, the mom of two thought about calling her friend’s husband.

Bumpus begged her not to, claiming that the woman and her husband had a good marriage.

He eventually took the other woman to the train station, leaving King to ring her best friend, Oprah Winfrey.

The talk show host, 72, had some sound advice for her long time pal.

King shared: “She said, ‘Well, call her husband.’ I go, ‘You think I should call?’ [She said], ‘Yes. Call.’”

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey posing for a photo.
King (pictured here earlier this month) recounted her ex begging her not to make the call, stating that the woman and her husband had a solid marriage.GC Images

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey posing for a photo.
Once he left to take the woman to the train, the “CBS Mornings” host called her best friend Oprah Winfrey (pictured here together in 2023).Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The woman’s husband didn’t believe anything happened between his wife and Bumpus.

“I said, ‘OK. You think I should get some help? Does your wife have a pink satin pajama top? Does she have some green mint panties that go with that? And, oh, by the way … there are semen stains in my bed. So am I delusional and out of touch with reality?’”

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey posing for a photo.
The talk show host (pictured here with King in 2025) convinced the author to call the woman’s husband. However, he didn’t believe an affair took place.Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

Gayle King in a gold sequined jumpsuit and Oprah Winfrey in a black sequined dress posing together at an event.
The mom of two was “proud” of herself for making the call, but did admit it took Winfrey (pictured here together in 2024) two hours to persuade her to call.Getty Images for The Recording Academy
After telling the gentleman to go “f–k himself,” King hung up the phone.

The news reporter was proud of herself, but noted that it did take “over two hours” before Winfrey had her convinced to call.

The former couple gave their relationship another shot after the cheating scandal, but Bumpus, ended up straying again, leading the pair to call it quits for good.

Gayle King waves to the camera while attending an after-party in New York City.
King (pictured here earlier this month) and Bumpus were married from 1982 until 1993.GC Images

Gayle King poses in a shimmering gold dress at the 2026 Met Gala.
In 2016, Bumpus issued a public apology to King (pictured here at the 2026 Met Gala), saying he has “nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace.”Getty Images

The author first spoke out about the incident in 2016, which led her ex-husband to apologize for his philandering ways.

Bumpus’s rep told Page Six in a statement at the time: “I have been haunted with this life altering choice. Though I have dealt with this privately . . . I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives.”

He added, “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace.”

While the exes are now on good terms, King couldn’t help but poke fun at Bumpus, stating, “I just saw him yesterday because [it was] my grandchild’s christening. I just saw him. He ain’t looking so good. Nope.”