Gayle King hilariously posed in an “OPRAH is FINE” shirt after revealing that her friend went to the emergency room due to a stomach virus.
The 69-year-old broadcaster took to Instagram on June 12 to give a candid update on Oprah Winfrey’s health. In one photo, King could be seen smiling next to large pictures of her friend, while wearing a navy blue shirt that reads: “OPRAH is FINE! Thank you for asking.”
The second photo in the post showed King sitting on a desk, with the back of the shirt reading: “She appreciates your concern!”
In the caption, she went on to quip about why she was wearing the shirt in the first place. “Just got back to the office and 10 people asked me the same question... here’s the answer!” she wrote, referring to the message on her outfit.
The Instagram account for Oprah Daily, the magazine founded by Winfrey, also quipped about the shirt in the comments of King’s post, writing: “Now we need to get Lady O a shirt that says ‘Whatever Gayle says’ in the front.”
On June 11, King revealed that Winfrey had to go to the hospital after the 70-year-old media mogul was noticeably absent from a scheduled appearance on CBS Mornings. During the segment, King said Winfrey was unable to appear on the program due to a “serious” stomach bug.
“She had some kind of stomach thing – stomach flu – stuff was coming out of both ends,” King said. “I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV. It was a very serious thing.”
While King noted that Winfrey was going to “rally” from the stomach virus, she still needed time to rest.
“She will be okay. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail,” King added about her pal. “But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and that it really bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today.”
In a statement shared to People, a spokesperson told the outlet that Winfrey is “recovering” following the stomach virus and “received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor.”
“She is resting and feeling better every day,” they added.
On June 12, King took to Instagram to share an update about her friend, as she posted a video of the two friends on a FaceTime call. During the chat, King made a few clarifications about her friend’s stomach bug, following the reports that Winfrey was hospitalized.
"I never said you were hospitalized, I did say that you had a stomach something, was coming out of both sides, which it was,” she said. However, in response, Winfrey did open up about being in the emergency room due to her health condition.
“I was so dehydrated,” she said. “I had a dry mouth and I couldn’t keep enough water down to get hydrated, so I went to the emergency room for that, and that’s just it… I’m not 100 [percent], but I’m on my way though.”
King also clarified why she spoke so candidly about Winfrey’s stomach bug, noting that this was the reason why she missed out on CBS Mornings, where she was set to unveil her latest book club pick, Familiaris, from author David Wroblewski.
“The point I was trying to make, America, is that it had to be something that would keep her from getting on a plane and coming. That’s the only point I was trying to make,” King explained, before Winfrey added: “I was too weak to get on the plane.”
