Gayle King took plenty of risks in her career and life to get where she is today, but admits one opportunity she received felt like she was “being punked.”
Earlier this month, she took a risk by eating a half-eaten slice of pie she received via delivery at her residence, which had fans concerned about her health.
The intriguing mystery about the pie slice appeared in multiple segments on CBS Mornings, which Gayle co-anchors and co-hosts on weekdays.
More recently, she opened up about another significant risk she took months ago, which other women called “brave” of her.
This week, she attended the Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program luncheon, which supports women filmmakers.
During the event, Gayle participated in a People interview and spoke about accepting the offer to appear on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover.
Gayle King thought she was ‘being punked’ by magazine
In May, Gayle King revealed she would appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, an opportunity that initially caught her off guard.
She talked to People on Tuesday about first receiving and accepting the offer to model for the iconic magazine issue.
“Talk about stepping outside of your box,” Gayle told the outlet, adding, “Honest to God, when they called me, I thought I was being punked. I did. I thought I was being punked.”
However, it wasn’t a prank or joke, as Gayle accepted the offer and modeled in several swimsuits for the magazine.
In a special interview with Leyna Bloom, she talked about her experience with Sports Illustrated. Gayle admitted she still felt like she was “floating” even to be included in the group of women selected for SI’s issue.
Gayle says women called her ‘brave’ for taking the risk with SI
Not only did Gayle appear in the magazine issue, but SI also featured her on one of the issue’s four solo covers, which surprised her.
The big reveal occurred on CBS Mornings, with Kate Upton and Hunter McGrady among those sharing the cover surprise with Gayle. The two models and Chrissy Teigen also appeared on solo covers for the magazine’s 2024 issue.
Along with Gayle’s CBS Mornings co-stars, actress and show host Drew Barrymore celebrated Gayle’s cover.
“I’ve had so many women come up to me and say, that was so brave. Was it brave? I was just excited. That’s what it was for me. To show you that it’s 69 and feeling really fine,” she said.
While Gayle took what some considered a “brave” risk with SI, she followed in the footsteps of another TV star, Martha Stewart. The well-known chef and TV personality appeared on the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue cover at the age of 81.
Despite not setting the age record, the CBS Mornings star called it one of the “highlights” of her career to be featured in SI’s issue and on its cover.