"She was not upset about it" — Gayle King says Oprah Winfrey did not mind the journalist sharing about her stomach flu on air

Oprah Winfrey was scheduled to appear on CBS Mornings on Tuesday to announce the latest Oprah's Book Club pick to Gayle King. However, she did not appear on the show as she had the stomach flu. Her friend revealed this on air and said:

"She had some kind of stomach thing – stomach flu – stuff was coming out of both ends. I won’t get too graphic."

King informed viewers that it was a "very serious thing" and that the talk show host had to be given an IV drip.

Several individuals then criticized her for oversharing, and she recalled some headlines from news reports accusing her of the same during the SiriusXM show Gayle King in the House. On Thursday, June 13, 2024, she assured individuals that Oprah Winfrey was "not upset" and addressing the comments, she remarked on her show:

"I'm here to tell you, favorite listeners, Oprah is OK. She had a stomach flu. It wasn't just her. Several people around her got the stomach flu. And I said on air that stuff was coming out of both sides. It was a mess."

She added:

"I didn't overshare. This is the thing, I would've never said anything that I wouldn't say about myself. So I really didn't think it was a big deal. When I told her, she goes, 'I don't know why people are acting like diarrhea is unusual. Sometimes people have it.' So she was not upset about it."

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"I was so dehydrated" — Oprah Winfrey tells Gayle King in a FaceTime conversation

Following Gayle King's announcement on CBS Mornings, the journalist was flooded with calls asking about Oprah. She took to her Instagram to inform concerned fans that Oprah Winfrey was doing alright. Additionally, she clarified that the latter was not hospitalized.

"She was sidelined with a stomach virus that caused such dehydration that she went to the hospital to get an IV drip. I thought I made that clear but next thing I know I’m surprised to see headlines that scream “Oprah’s hospitalized!” (She was NOT!)," she wrote.

In her post, King included a FaceTime conversation with Oprah Winfrey, where the latter explained:

"I was so dehydrated. 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."

Per the Mayo Clinic, the stomach flu is a viral infection that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes fever. Due to excess diarrhea and vomiting, an individual can sometimes get dehydrated and require IV fluids.

Winfrey then told her friend that five people in her house had caught the bug. She urged everyone to wash their hands, adding that her doctor told her the bug lives on door knobs and railings.

King then pointed out that Oprah Winfrey wanted to be on the show, as she never misses announcing her book picks. She also asked Winfrey if she was offended by the way she chose to share the news, to which the host explained she knew Gayle was just trying to be clear. Oprah added that she was just "too weak to get on the plane."

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SiriusXM’s Gayle King in the House airs every Thursday on Radio Andy channel 102.