Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Gayle Kingis sharing an embarrassing story from her days as a novice journalist.
Noting that she was “feeling very good” as a weekend “anchor-slash-reporter,” King explained that as the newscast was wrapping up, she stumbled as she was trying to tell the audience at home “we’ll all bebacknext weekend.”
Instead, King said something else. “I’m sitting there very straight, going, you know, ‘We’ll all beBlacknext weekend’ " she told Colbert. “I was so mortified, it just took me for a nanosecond.”
Luckily, King recovered quickly. She recalled: “In that moment, I said, ‘Well, I’ll still beBlack. The rest of these guys will beback.’ "
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The longtime anchor has notably moved on from her days as a local reporter, though the experience helped her connect with her BFFOprah Winfrey, their paths crossing along the way in the industry.
She was tapped to help launchCBS This MorningalongsideCharlie Roseand Erica Hill in 2012. The show was rebranded asCBS Morningslast September.
Gayle King and R. Kelly.Lazarus Jean-Baptiste/CBS

During a 2019 viral interview with R. Kelly in which the singer grew increasingly agitated, King’s notoriety hit another level, many industry insiders crediting her for keeping her cool.
“I called the West Coast and I said, ‘Gayle King is doing the most impactful interview I’ve ever seen,’ " CBS News President Susan Zirinsky said at the time. “What was so brilliant about her handling of that interview was that she didn’t react in the moment, she was able to step back and see it from the wide angle. She didn’t flinch, she didn’t lose composure, she stayed focused and poised, and because of that, she was able to bring him back.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbertairs weeknights (11:30 p.m. ET) on CBS.
source: people.com