Gayle King has a big announcement to make about her love life.
The “CBS Mornings” host was forced to get candid about her personal life after images of her flashing a big ring on her hand hit the internet earlier this week, leaving everyone in shock.
King took a moment to address the viral photos showing her smiling alongside an older gentleman during the Oct. 31 episode, speaking directly to her co-hosts and viewers about the rumors.
She said, “Been getting a lot of texts, lot of messages, stories online that I got engaged. Take a look at me with a big ring on my finger. … If there’s a lucky man I have no idea who he is.”
An image of King holding her hand up with a ring on flashed across the screen along with a screenshot of a gossip site called Celeb News Today teasing that her supposed wedding details have been revealed.
As it turns out, King fans were deceived by artificial intelligence. “These generated images have been making their way to social media. So I’m here to say exclusively on ‘CBS Mornings,’ I’m not married. Not even engaged.”
She said people have been sending her messages of congratulations and telling her non-stop, how happy they are for her, pointing to photos of her in a wedding dress smiling next to an older Black man wearing a tuxedo.
Her co-host, former NFL player Nate Burleson, asked sarcastically, “That was AI?” before King turned to him and admitted that even she was almost duped. “That isn’t me. But Nate even I looked at it and go ‘Is that me?’” she replied.
Reading the fake story from a piece of paper, she said, “‘It says, the man who has captured her heart is no other than a prominent figure in the business world’ – Where is he?”
Her other co-host, Tony Dokoupil, interrupted King with a joke, adding, “I feel like I’ve seen that guy before.”
“I would like to see you, sir. Show yourself,” King replied. She continued reading the alleged paper with notes that described the man, “Known for his philanthropic efforts and his low profile lifestyle the revelation has been a new layer of intrigue to the story. Many were curious about who this lucky partner is.”
“He’s so lucky even my kids said, “Mom who is this?’” King joked. “I go, ‘I have no idea.’ But I am not married and engaged. Believe me, if it was, you would hear it here first.”
Burleson added, “For all you guys that are watching, go ahead and shoot your shot. She’s still single.” King declared, “You still have a shot!” while waving her closed fists in the air.
Though she seemed to have lighthearted reaction to the news, some fans weren’t so pleased with someone using AI to come up with these fabricated photos and story.
On the “CBS Mornings” Instagram page, one person said, “AI is creating more chaos in this world like we need more of it.”
Someone else wrote, “Wowww… who came UP with this lie?!?! And USED her image to tell this LIE! You can’t trust ANYTHING anymore.”
A third typed, “AI is very dangerous.”
Since artificial intelligence made deepfakes possible, experts and everyday users alike have warned about the dangers of this technology. Deepfakes digitally manipulate a person’s image or voice to make them appear to do or say things they never actually did.
For many, it’s becoming harder to separate what’s real from what’s fabricated.
One thing that isn’t fabricated, though, is that King is still open to love. She’s made it clear for years that she’s available and ready to date again.
King, who notably is best friends with Oprah Winfrey, was once married to William Bumpus. The marriage, which began in 1982, ended in 1993 after King discovered Bumpus was cheating with a friend of hers. Before the demise of their union, they welcomed their daughter Kirby Bumpus, 39, and William Bumpus Jr., 38.
