Gayle King is furious that CBS aired a clip of her inflammatory question about Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case from 2003, which went viral and incited a nationwide backlash against her.
A stampeding herd of Black Twitter users trampled over King after the clip went viral. It included entertainers Snoop Dogg, Vivica A. Fox, Ari Lennox, Boosie and even actor Michael Rapaport of Higher Learning fame.
King, who anchors “CBS This Morning” and is best friends with Oprah Winfrey, tried to defend herself while aiming her anger at her bosses at CBS.
“I’ve been up reading the comments about the interview I did with Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant, and I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too,” she said in an Instagram video. “I am mortified. I am embarrassed and I am very angry. Unbeknownst to me, my network put up a clip from a very wide-ranging interview — totally taken out of context — and when you see it that way, it’s very jarring. It’s jarring to me. I didn’t even know anything about it.”
In the clip, King addressed Bryant’s sexual assault case, which was settled in 2005.
“It’s been said that his legacy is complicated, because of a sexual assault charge that was dismissed in 2003, 2004. Is it complicated for you, as a woman, as a WNBA player?” King asked.
Leslie then replied, “It’s not complicated for me at all… I just never see — have ever seen him being the kind of person that would be — do something to violate a woman or be aggressive in that way. That’s just not the person that I know.”
Fans of Bryant found the questioning disrespectful and distasteful. Actress Vivica A. Fox even posted the clip, writing, “Waking up to this interview and was just really pissed off! LIKE YO! I realize folks gotta do they job but this is just disrespectful in my opinion #CLOUTCHASER.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MDSwhlL-K/?igshid=1my3v6njqc7a
King said she is “mortified” that CBS would air this clip out of context and she said she intends to have intense conversations with the network as soon as possible.
“I felt really good about the interview… so, for the network to take the most salacious part when taken out of context, and put it up online for people who didn’t see the whole interview, is very upsetting to me and that’s something I’m going to have to deal with them. There will be a very intense discussion about that,” King said.
Listen to Gayle King below:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8OJfE7Jzri/?utm_source=ig_embed
This hardly satisfied many Black people as they are calling for her head. Some critics also point out that both King and Winfrey have taken intimate photos with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who is now on trial for a plethora of rapes he allegedly committed over decades. They are openly wondering why there are no comments or questions about Weinstein and other powerful men who were exposed during the #MeToo movement.
Gayle, it’s black history month…. when are you going to stop hating your own people. Waiting for hard hitting question you are going to ask Harvey. Didn’t think so… #GayleKing #HarveyWeinstein #Lakers @GayleKing pic.twitter.com/WzqMSY6FAb
— The-Real-Laker (@Lakers32) February 6, 2020
Flip the page to listen to Snoop Dogg, Ari Lennox and others rail about King for asking Bryant’s old rape case from 2003 (Warning: NSFW)
