Gayle King quoted an uncensored gay slur while attempting to tell a joke on live TV.
King, 70, made the remark on the Friday, April 4 edition of CBS Mornings during an interview with comedian Matteo Lane, who is openly gay.
In the segment, King where she attempted to retell one of Lane’s standup jokes, who was on the show to promote his cookbook, Your Pasta Sucks.
“Can we talk about the standup? Can I just say one joke? I hope I don’t get in trouble,” King said to Lane, 38. “You do a riff about white women who approached you, and they said something about cooking, and you said, ‘What in the f——- are you talking about?’”
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She added: “I thought that was hilarious. What does that mean?”
Visibly seeming to find the question hilarious, Lane replied, “I love you, Gayle King.”
He continued: “It means exactly what you think it means. White women, they’re fine during the day, but they have one sip of a rosé and they’re like, ‘Tonight’s about me!’ They won’t stop, I’m telling you. Horrible.”
Prior to King quoting the gay slur, Lane had been openly discussing his sexuality with the TV host in the lighthearted segment.
“You embrace being gay and your homosexuality,” King said to Lane. “And I’m wondering — where did this come from? The funniness that you were able to combine with cooking and and your stand-up, too?”
Revealing it felt “natural” for him to combine comedy and cooking, Lane shared a little about how his upbringing contributed to this.
He explained that he hailed from “a large family where you have to have something funny to say or be opinionated, so you have to speak up.”
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CBS removed the slur from later feeds of CBS Mornings as well as from YouTube and the show’s social media channels.
Lane appeared to have taken the remark in good humor, reposting the official, censored version via his Instagram.
While some viewers weren’t impressed with King’s comment, including one who described it via X as a “messy move,” some prominent LGBTQ+ celebs reacted positively online.
Bob the Drag Queen shared the clip via X and called King “honestly iconic,” while comedian Jay Jurden weighed in by posting: “Can’t spell Gayle without “Gay.”THE HIGH COUNCIL APPROVES.”
King has hosted CBS Mornings and its predecessor CBS This Morning since January 2012.
