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How long have Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey been friends? Iconic TV hosts started their careers at same place

While the two had different backgrounds, they both landed in the same place at the start of their careers in journalism

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: While the film and TV industry is known as a cruel place that priotizes work over relationships, some friendships have been able to bloom in these barren ground. One of them is the friendhip of TV personalities Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey. 

The two have been working as hosts of different talk shows and news programs and have known each other since they were just young girls and newbies in the industry. The story behind their bond that has spanned over decades is nothing simple but rather special. 

How did Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey become friends?

The 'CBS Mornings' host found Winfrey when it was rare to come across another Black woman in the world of TV. While both of them had had different familial and financial backgrounds growing up, they both landed in the same place at the start of their career in journalism.

In their early 20s, the two women were working for the WJZ station in Baltimore, Maryland. While King was a production assitant there, Winfrey had started gaining her hosting experience for the early morning 6 o'clock news. 

Their first meeting was memorable, as they crossed paths when the city was seeing a snowstorm so harsh that King was not able to trek back to her place. Winfrey offered her that she could crash at her home. But instead of a simple sleepover, this became the foundation of their beautiful bond. "We ended up talking all night long," Winfrey revealed in an interview with People, "We've literally been friends ever since." 

In another interview with O, the Oprah Magazine, Winfrey also shared, “I’d never met anybody like that. Certainly not another Black girl. I grew up in an all-white community.”

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey's unbreakable bond of 47 years 

Now, 47 years after that eventful night, King and Winfrey have stayed as close as ever. While King joined 'CBS Mornings' and became one of the most popular hosts in Hollywood, Winfrey became a legend herself with her own talk shows and other major gigs. But beyond their friendship, they also decided to maintain a professional relationship as King became the editor-at-large for Winfrey's magazine and has kept that position for decades. 

The two have been successful in everything they have gone out to pursue in the industry. But their friendship is something they both cherish the most. "Finding someone who is truly happy for your happiness is a gift," Winfrey told People. "And on the flip side, I [can] trust her about anything," said King, "Her advice is always very good." Winfrey added, "People will find this hard to believe, but we've never had a serious argument. It certainly is a beautiful friendship."