Oprah Winfrey revealed that Gayle King has been on every vacation she’s taken with partner Stedman Graham since 1993, saying their romance ‘wouldn’t have lasted’ if he didn’t like his friend, who is her closest friend.
The longtime friends reflected on their 45-year friendship as they embarked on a trip in Oprah Daily’s new series The OG Chronicles: Joy Ride.
The three-part special takes place 15 years after Oprah and Gayle took a cross-country road trip from Santa Barbara, California, to New York City in their red Chevy Impala, an adventure made famous by they’ve done. Recorded for The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006.
This time around, Gayle was behind the wheel as they hit the open road in a royal blue Lexus ES 350 F Sport while headed to visit Arlene Ramirez, a charter member of the Oprah Daily Insiders community who lives nearby in Santa Barbara.
In the first episode, Oprah revealed that Gayle has been on every vacation she’s taken with her partner Stedman Graham since 1993. They were photographed together in 1994.
Gayle noted at the beginning of the episode that she drove because Oprah didn’t like doing it, even though they took shifts on their first trip together.
‘Tell everyone: You are not the most suitable person! You don’t like overtaking! You don’t like traveling on the highway!’ Gayle told Oprah before they got in the car.
“That’s why I don’t drive,” Oprah replied.
The famous couple passed the time by answering questions from fans, including one from an Instagram follower of Oprah Daily who wanted to know if she should be upset that her best friend I will travel with my boyfriend, not with you or not.
‘I do not know. That’s going to bother me a little bit,’ Gayle said, prompting Oprah to interject: ‘Oh, you’re going to be bothered a lot.’
Keeping it real: Oprah insisted that she and Stedman ‘wouldn’t have lasted’ if he didn’t like Gayle, explaining ‘husbands and boyfriends come and go,’ but ‘best friends last forever
All together: Gayle, whose family often spends holidays with Oprah and Stedman, said she has never felt like a ‘third wheel’ with the couple
However, the media mogul noted that this has never been an issue in their decades-long friendship because Gayle has always been included on her trips.
‘Since after your divorce, you were on every vacation with me and Stedman,’ Oprah pointed out, which means they’ve been vacationing together for nearly 30 years.
Gayle shares two children, William and Kirby, with her ex-husband William Bumpus, whom she divorced in 1993 after 11 years of marriage. She and her children often spend holidays and vacations with Oprah, who is also Kirby’s godmother.
‘The three of us have had a wonderful time. If I was the third wheel, I didn’t know it!’ Gayle said. ‘If Stedman didn’t like me, that would’ve been tough.’
Oprah and Stedman were seven years into their relationship when Gayle got divorced, but she insisted they wouldn’t have made it if he took issue with her best friend.
Road trip: Oprah and Gayle cruised around Santa Barbara, California, in a royal blue Lexus ES 350 F Sport during their latest road trip
Honest: Oprah, who admitted that Gayle was behind the wheel because she doesn’t like to drive, read questions from fans while they were on the road
‘If Stedman didn’t like you, Stedman wouldn’t have lasted,’ she said. ‘Husbands and boyfriends come and go. Best friends last forever.’