Sports Illustrated released their annual Swimsuit Issue cover last week, with four cover models: Chrissy Teigen, Hunter McGrady, Kate Upton, and Gayle King. For Gayle, who turns 70 in December, this was a pretty big deal! In an interview with People, she told them that being on the cover was “one of the highlights of all the things I’ve done because I never thought this would be possible.” She was so excited and shared that her adult children were proud of her too. I love this so much for her!
Gayle also joked that she wondered what her ex-husband, William Bumpus, thought of the cover, quipping that she was going to send him a copy. Well, Bumpus has seen the cover now, and he had such a cute and funny reaction to it, telling Page Six that he thought Gayle looked “fantastic.” Awww. He also added that he’s now able to cross “hooking up with a Sports Illustrated Model” off of his bucket list. LOL!
“Well, I can mark off one more item on my highly unlikely to ever happen bucket list! My teenage fantasy of hooking up with a Sports Illustrated Model has finally come true,” the lawyer wrote in a statement to Page Six Sunday.
“WOW! Bravo to you Gayle … You Look Fantastic! Bravo to Sports Illustrated for selecting YOU!”
Bumpus — who was married to King from 1982 to 1993 — added that his ex has always “been Beautiful Inside and Out (sic).”
“I appreciate you more and more as time goes on, as a trailblazer, and also when I see our phenomenal kids and grandkids!” he continued. “I am proud of you and continue to wish you nothing but happiness. Enjoy!”
William and the “CBS Mornings” host, 69, share two children: daughter Kirby Bumpus, 38, and son William Bumpus Jr., 37. The former couple allegedly faced infidelity in their marriage, with King claiming to have found her ex-husband “naked” in bed with another woman in 1990. She recalled the incident during a 2016 Vanity Fair Q&A when she was asked, “Which living person do you most despise?”
“Despise is a strong word. I’m not a huge fan of the woman who I caught naked with my now ex-husband on June 24, 1990, at 9:16 p.m. — but I don’t remember the details,” the TV personality said at the time. Days later, William opened up about the alleged infidelity to Page Six, telling us, “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.”
However, the two appear to now have an amicable relationship since King quipped she was going to send her ex a copy of her SI Swimsuit cover.
“I wonder what my ex-husband is saying,” she told “Entertainment Tonight” Thursday. “I’m gonna send him a copy!”
I really am happy for Gayle, and it’s refreshing to see two exes have a lighthearted dynamic like that. While I can’t relate to hooking up with a Sports Illustrated model, but Bumpus is right about one thing: Gayle really does look fantastic on the cover. I like the bathing suit she’s wearing on the cover, but I really love the yellow suit she’s wearing on one of the pages. In an interview with ET, Gayle said that Tyra Banks helped teach her how to stand and that she’s had a lot of women tell her that she’s an “inspiration.” There’s also a picture of her modeling in an adorable white halter suit that makes her look like a pin-up. All I’m saying is that I can see why she’d want to send a copy of the issue to her ex. I totally would too.
Gayle does look amazing! and also very photoshopped. altho to be fair, if I was going to be on a magazine I would be like, bring on the photoshop! lol.
yay for friendly exes. it speaks well of them both.
Tyra may have taught her how to stand but they didnt help out with her facial expressions, in some shots she looks a little stunned or suprised. But she looks fab obvs.
I may be the exception but it really irks my soul that we’re still doing things like sports illustrated. It is so objectifying and useless. Give them a cookie for looking “good” in a swimsuit. 🥱
this is a battle that I have given up fighting over… but you’re absolutely right.
how to have a bikini body: put a bikini on your body. voila!
if they’re going to do it anyway at least they don’t only feature 20 y/o anorexics. worth a cookie? maybe!
It irks me too. I also dislike beauty pageants as well.
I would love if there were men on that swimsuit issue also. One assumes that men also wear swimsuits when they swim. At least it will make it not one sided.
How tf is she 70? I don’t know if it is good genes or money or both, but I hope I age like her. She looks amazing.
Love it ❤ Gayle looks amazing.
She looks particularly good in the yellow suit and her son is gorgeous…but yes, overall a big no to putting together a swimsuit edition of a magazine…
She looks great!
She needs to be like Cher and get herself a younger dude!
I love Gayle and it hurts me so much that I had to break up with her! The comment she made to winning USC coach Dawn Staley during her interview was the last straw for me. She’s amazing in this SI cover though!!!!!