Gayle King claims Oprah did not know interview with Meghan and Harry was ‘blowing up’: ‘Not paying attention to all of this’

Morning show host says Winfrey was ‘sitting on her back porch reading a book’

Gayle King has claimed that her close friend Oprah Winfrey has not been paying attention to the public reaction to her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the days since the tell-all conversation first aired.

A day after Winfrey’s two-hour interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aired in the UK for the first time, which has since prompted a response from Buckingham Palace, the host of CBS’s This Morning said she had called her best friend to discuss the reactions only to find she’s “not paying attention to all of this”.

King made the claim during Tuesday’s episode of This Morning, where she said she called Winfrey on Monday to tell her “You know, this thing is blowing up,” according to the DailyMail.

However, rather than agree with the assessment, the 66-year-old host says Winfrey appeared to be unconcerned with the response to the interview.

“She’s sitting on her back porch reading a book, not paying attention to all of this. I said: ‘I’m telling you, this is big.’ [She said]: ‘Is it?’ Yeah, no it’s big!” King said.

Read more: You can find all the details from Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah here

In a statement shared by the Palace on Tuesday, the Queen addressed the interview, and said the “whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan”.

The monarch also said that the issues raised in the interview, particularly “that of race, are concerning”, and that they will be “addressed by the family privately”.

Prince Harry’s grandmother concluded the statement as she has done in the past, adding: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

In addition to shocked and outraged reactions from viewers, the interview, which was watched by more than 11.1m viewers when it aired on ITV, also sparked responses from notable figures including Serena Williams to the White House and Hillary Clinton.

Additionally, Piers Morgan has departedITV’s Good Morning Britain after he incited backlash with his comments about Meghan following the interview.

“Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” ITV said in a brief statement Tuesday. “ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”

While Winfrey was reportedly unphased by the varied responses, she previously told King that the two-hour interview, which touched on everything from the couple’s decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family to allegations of racism in the royal family, was the“best interview she’s ever done”.

“I’ve heard from reliable sources, this is Oprah talking, that it’s the best interview she’s ever done,” King revealed on This Morning ahead of the interview.