As CB reported Wednesday, Gayle King caught her husband, William Bumpas, in bed with another woman 26 years ago. They had been married for 11 years and divorced as a result of this affair. The usual reaction when something like this resurfaces is for the other party to make a statement saying how it is in the past and everyone should move on. But when William issued a statement to Page Six on Wednesday, it included a pubic apology for his actions and gratitude for how Gayle has handled their relationship since. What’s more, William said that he had already atoned privately but felt a public apology was also in order.
Gayle King’s ex-husband William Bumpus has issued a public apology for cheating on his wife.
Though it happened 26 years ago, the news made headlines this week when the CBS This Morning host, while answering questions for a Vanity Fair questionnaire, referenced catching her then-husband in bed with another woman in 1990.
“I have been haunted with this life altering choice,” Bumpus told Page Six via a statement from rep Lisa Nkonoki. “Though I have dealt with this privately … I publicly apologize for the major transgression that dramatically changed all of our lives.”
Bumpus’ statement continued: “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Gayle and how she handled herself with grace. Despite the situation, she kept our children, as well as my relationship and involvement with them, as a clear priority.”
“Gayle was a great wife, an excellent mother and a fantastic co-parent,” he went on. “I am eternally grateful for all that she has done and continues to do to enrich my life and the lives of our incredible adult children. I continue to be a work in progress and have spent the last 26 years striving to be a better man and father. I applaud Gayle’s continued phenomenal success and friendship!”
As far as apologies go, this is a good one. William took responsibility and issued an unconditional apology without trying to earn our sympathy with some sob story as to why he was fractured at the time. Plus, he didn’t have to. It was 26 years ago and when he says he dealt with it privately, I assume that means he apologized to Gayle. I like that he makes mention of how well Gayle handled his relationship with the children despite what he had done. I have seen both sides of this coin, the parent who acted as Gayle did and the parent who poisoned the kids against the wrong-doer. Gayle did her kids a wonderful service by making them the priority over her anger.
Reading the comments from yesterday, some wondered why Gayle singled out the woman and not William for cheating. If he did make amends, maybe this is why Gayle is still angry at the woman? Maybe she never made it right with Gayle so she hasn’t forgiven her. Again, as CB referenced, when speaking to Will Smith about this in 2006, Gayle said that she went to marital counseling and is OK and not bitter. I wonder if she and William went at the time to try and save the marriage or if she went post divorce and that is how they have managed their relationship so well? It doesn’t matter, I am just curious. Either way, although I have always liked Gayle, this has raised her even higher in my estimation.
Gayle with good friend and often rumored boyfriend Sen. Cory Booker
Photo credit: WENN and Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images
Who are these people who always come running out in the defense of the mistress and what is their story? I get that the spouse is guilty but so is the woman who is banging him. Now if the victim can make peace with the spouse thats her prerogative. Forgiving the spouse doesnt absolve the mistress by any stretch. The reverse is also true of course.
Exactly! I posted this on the prior thread. There’s always going to be some “residual anger” for the mistress. Now, if *all* the anger is directed towards her, that’s when it’s entirely unfair.
None of us were “defending the mistress” our point is that the mistress is irrelevant, if it wasn’t her it would be another woman, horse or cow. The point being it’s your husband, boyfriend, partner who betrayed your relationship due to his or her LACK OF SELF CONTROL. If a man loves you, respects you and your feelings he would never go out of his way to HURT you that way. Regardless if the most attractive and desirable woman in the world was climbing all over him.
It’s a selfish and hateful act to cheat, close to striking at a partner when your emotions are out of control. Men are not children, women have lust too but are capable of self-control. You absolve a man/woman of THEIR personal failings IMO when you direct 90% of your anger at the other woman. What men take away from the lesson is that they will be forgiven by their women and it is the woman they had sex with (who they really don’t care about) that will bare the blunt of the blame and anger. That’s how men’s brains work.
A stranger does not care about your hurt feelings or some misplaced sisterhood. The person who made promises to you on the other hand should!
“It’s a selfish and hateful act to cheat.” I agree whole-heartedly. I also think that it is selfish and hateful to sleep with somebody who is in a relationship.
You wrote: “A stranger does not care about your hurt feelings or some misplaced sisterhood. ”
I disagree: they should. Sleeping with someone who is taken, you know you’re hurting someone. It doesn’t matter if you are personally acquainted with that person – you CHOOSE to hurt someone. No amount of rationalisation is ever going to change that.
I equally lay the blame on both parties involved in the cheating. Each of them are 50% responsible.
People always say “if it wasn’t her, it would be someone else.” I’ve heard this from actual mistresses or friends, women I knew were carrying on with a married man – the mistresses will say “if it weren’t me, it would have been someone else” and my answer is always the same – but it wasn’t someone else – it was you. You did this to another woman.
There seems to be an attitude that if a man is a cheater, the women he cheats with are absolved because….hey, he’s going to cheat so why does it matter with whom he cheats? It doesn’t matter with whom he cheats. But it definitely shows a lack or character and morals on the part of the women who are willing to betray a fellow sister. What does it say about a person who has sex with someone they know to be married. Cracks in a marriage don’t matter. The fact that some people are serial cheaters doesn’t matter. Just because a dude might have a wandering dong doesn’t discount the acts of the partners of said dong. I cant’ stand cheaters. I can’t stand the people they cheat with. Assuming a mistress knows her target is married, there is no excuse for her actions just as there is no excuse for a married person cheating.
@JenniferJustice: I agree with everything you say, and thank you for pointing out that particular soundbite. If I may add one thing: It’s not just hurtful and wrong when the cheater is married. Any committed relationship is off limits period.
“What men take away from the lesson is that they will be forgiven by their women and it is the woman they had sex with (who they really don’t care about) that will bare the blunt (sic) of the blame and anger. That’s how men’s brains work.”
No, that is how men who are already garbage cowards think. Real men are true and honest. If you can’t bear not being with the new woman, either choose to end things with the one you’re with or try opening up your relationship. It might fail,but it might work. And if it fails, it was going to fail anyhow from the cheating. There’s a reason they call it cheating.
@JenniferJustice *standing ovation* Perfectly stated. Just wow, love what you wrote!
I think it’s more that the focus and hatred gets thrown at the other woman vs. the cheating husband. The woman automatically gets branded a homewrecker, pathetic, selfish, can’t get her own man, etc. I do seriously question the morals of a woman (or man) who knowingly cheats with a married person, but the spouse is the one who should get the brunt of the hatred and words as they are the one to took the vows to be faithful and honest to their partner.
Nice to see her with Cory Booker–seems like a great friendship.
Always nice to hear a sincere apology, seems so rare these days.
A public apology is nice but 26 years later? What’s the point if all the bitterness is behind them?
He probably felt he needed to say something because of the silly rumors on the net that he was the one who found her in bed with a certain famous woman. That sounded so unlikely to me for many reasons, but there are those who believe it (heaven forbid that two women just be close friends). So he’s setting the record straight in public. It was just as she said, she found him in bed with another woman (and apparently a friend of hers).
And me, being the cynic I am, wonders if this very public apology isn’t self-serving – as in he is a high-profile attorney with a reputation to uphold. A public person being outed publicly as a cheater almost demands a public apology. Isn’t he an assistant attorney general for Connecticut – and isn’t that position an elected one? mmm-hmmm…….
It’s easier to hate a stranger than the person you love.
Yep! I don’t understand why people don’t get this. There is incentive to forgive a loved one for transgressions even if it is only for peace of mind. But to forgive a stranger, why? I think the window of opportunity for fairness closed when the cheating began and the person being wronged is under no obligation “to be fair” or forgive either party.
+1
Her kids are gorgeous! I should ask her to send that son my way. Purrrrrr
I was going to ask if that’s her son in the second picture. He is insanely good-looking.
He’s sorry he missed out on all that Oprah money.
Rumor has it he didn’t miss out on “all that Oprah money.” He’s issuing this public apology now, because Gayle didn’t foresee that her statement would bring up the old gossip that before she walked in on him with another woman, he walked in on her with Oprah. He’s been on the payroll since. Or so rumor has it…
Or he’s properly defending her against baseless rumors like that, and admitting it was all on him.
A “pubic” apology? Sounds pretty apropos in this situation, no? 😊
I am very pleased with this! It would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to go all misogynoir and disrespect her to “protect his manhood”, or make any number of tired old “boys will be boys” types of excuses. Not only didn’t he do that, he said he was “haunted” by his actions to this day and how much he respects her and her grace after he did dirt? Well, go ‘head Mr. Bumpus! In a time when the Black community is hurt, confused, angry, and exhausted from yet another two innocent deaths at the hands of police, it is heart-warming and wonderful to hear a Black man respectfully and glowingly speak about a Black woman, especially when he has done her wrong! It’s just a little beam of light, a little respite from hoping against hope that my father and brothers make it home alive each night.
hahaha, I missed that.
I’m sorry that you have to feel this anxiety, DragonWise. May what you fear never come true, and may things change, soon, finally.
Just a what-if: What if the other woman didn’t know he was married? No ring, lied about his situation, etc. I don’t see anywhere that the woman knew she was involved with a married man…
That happened to me with a guy. Didn’t know he was married, we went out with his friends, who KNEW he was married. The night his wife had their first child, we were out with his best friend and his date. I didn’t know until a friend who worked at a bank looked him up and saw he was married, and had opened a savings account for his newborn.
What did I do? He was an attorney, so I sent a huge bouquet of congratulations and on the card told him to lose my number and to ‘f’ off. Never heard from him again.
Bizarre.. am I the only one that finds it suspiciously WAAAY over-the-top?? Like her team just wrote this for him… and why? Almost like it’s designed to distract us from something else. (no offense to Gayle btw- she seems perfectly likable, but…)
It is a stand up thing to do. Not sure why the world had to know about it, but still, he had good intentions. It would be nice if more people owned up to their mistakes, even if it is 26 years later.