Oprah Winfrey said on Friday morning that her best friend Gayle King is “not doing well” after the fallout from her now-viral interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie.
Winfrey choked up and said, “She is not doing well. May I say she is not — she is not doing well, because she has now death threats and has to now travel with security and she’s feeling very much attacked.”
The talkshow legend went on to tell “Today” hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb that King “feels that she was put in a really terrible position because that interview had already run and in the context of the interview, everyone seemed fine, including Lisa Leslie.”
Still, Oprah said, “All things pass. She will be OK.”
CBS News responded Thursday after King, a morning anchor for the network, tweeted about the backlash she received from the interview’s posting on social media. The network said it is “addressing the internal process that led to this” after King blamed CBS News for only posting a shortened clip of the exchange.
“Gayle conducted a thoughtful, wide-ranging interview with Lisa Leslie about the legacy of Kobe Bryant,” the network said in a statement. “An excerpt was posted that did not reflect the nature and tone of the full interview. We are addressing the internal process that led to this and changes have already been made.”
“I’ve been up reading the comments about the interview I did with Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant,” King said in a video posted to Twitter Thursday morning. “I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me, too. I am mortified, I am embarrassed and I am very angry. Unbeknownst to me, my network put up a clip from a very wide-ranging interview, totally taken out of context and when you see it that way, it’s very jarring.”
.@Oprah emotionally responds to backlash her friend Gayle King received over King’s recent interview about Kobe Bryant with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie: “She is not doing well because she has now death threats.” pic.twitter.com/M8HrCp8vTr
Super Bowl LIV: The Party Scene From Miami (Photos)
The Kansas City Chiefs were no doubt still partying well into Monday morning after their fourth quarter thriller in Hard Rock Stadium. But long before they took down the San Francisco 49ers, the top names in entertainment and sports hit the party scene in Miami.
The biggest weekend in sports began with tributes to one of the greatest athletes of all time. On Thursday night, DJ Irie, Jamie Foxx and Charles Woodson made an emotional toast to the late Kobe Bryant at the Culinary Kickoff party presented by Intercept Wine.
Jamie Foxx raised a glass in memory of the Black Mamba as he DJed at the fundraising event benefiting the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to fund culinary students and other local charities.
No one represents football in Miami more than Dolphins veteran QB Dan Marino. And not clothing brand represents the party scene more than Zubaz, so it was natural that the two icons united for a special activation with sports lifestyle brand ’47 ahead of Super Bowl LIV, in celebration of '47's headwear collaboration with Zubaz.
47 Clothing
Zubaz, the iconic zebra print from that Marino rocked in the '90s has since been revived by the NFL's modern day party MVP, Rob Gronkowski. Fans got to customize their ’47 gear ahead of the big game in Miami, and some even wore them to Saturday's Gronk Beach Party.
47 Clothing
Following one of the toughest weeks of his life in the wake of Kobe Bryant's death, Shaquille O'Neal still managed to bring his giant-sized personality to Shaq's Fun House on Friday night. The NBA legend also threw the biggest tribute of the weekend to his former teammate. As Bryant's No. 24 jersey floated on stage, Shaq played a video montage of their many special moments together. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation and all victims of the recent tragedy.
Pitbull also paid his respects by starting a "Kobe" chant to kick off his set at Shaq's Fun House. Next up, P. Diddy took to the stage and dedicated “I’ll Be Missing You" to Bryant.
Rob Gronkowski and Miami are a match made in party heaven, and the funnest guy in football pulled out all the stops for his inaugural Gronk Beach Party on Saturday afternoon. The beach bash of the century featured performances by Rick Ross, Diplo, Kaskade, Flo Rida and Carnage, as the three-time Super Bowl champion lit up the stage with a little help from his brothers, dad (a.k.a. Papa Gronk) and 69 of his closest friends.
Who says Bill Belichick doesn't know how to have fun? The Patriots coach took advantage of not having to work on Super Bowl weekend by getting down with his former tight end at Gronk Beach. The pair were joined by WWE chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon (who is a diehard Patriots fan), Triple H, Mojo Rawley and Sports Illustrated model, Camille Kostek.
Music producer and EDM DJ 3Lau (real name Justin Blau) clearly had a blast supporting his good friend and party partner Gronk as he played a killer set during the beach fest.
Gronk wasn't gonna let a little storm rain on his parade. The big fella took advantage of not having to play in Sunday's game by keeping Saturday's party going strong for as long as possible.
Lady Gaga made the entrance of the weekend when she descended from the rafters of the specially constructed Meridian at Island Gardens for her headline performance at AT&T TV Super Saturday Night.
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Rob Lowe, Jamie Foxx, Paul Rudd, Adriana Lima, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sage Steele were among the stars at the most sought after concert of Super Bowl weekend.
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As usual, Maxim pulled out the big guns for their annual Big Game Experience on Saturday night. The Chainsmokers headlined the star-filled bash that included Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, NeNe Leakes, Jake Paul, Tana Mongeau and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Latin duo MYA epitomized the Havana Nights-themed Maxim party that was hosted by In the Know Experiences and in collaboration with Columbia Records.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion strutted her stuff on stage for the hot Maxim crowd that filled the specially built 40,000 square foot event space on Key Biscayne.
Getty for Maxim
New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter amped up the cool factor when he was honored by Excel Sports Management at an exclusive event on Friday. Nate Burleson hosted a chalk talk with Jeter, highlighting his historic career and his new endeavors in Miami. All proceeds from the event benefited the Turn 2 Foundation, which Jeter founded back in 1996 to motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol.
Excel Sports Management
Newly inducted Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and fellow guests arrived via yacht to a mansion on Star Island for the Excel Sports Management event, where illusionist David Blaine brought a real dose of magic to the night.
Excel Sports Management
NFL Hall of Fame duo and former San Francisco 49ers stars Steve Young and Jerry Rice unveiled their sixth “8 to 80 Zone” on behalf of The Forever Young Foundation and in partnership with the YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Miami. The “8 to 80 Zone” facility is a free resource within the YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. for Miami area students exploring esports, production, and game development careers or who want to learn and compete with their peers locally and across the globe.
The Forever Young Foundation
Young and Rice, who collectively earned 20 Pro Bowl honors over their storied careers, cut the ribbon surrounded by supporters for the "8 to 80 Zone," which was received grants from the NFL Foundation as part of the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.
The Forever Young Foundation
DJ Irie was one of many performers to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant over Super Bowl LIV weekend, taking a coveted No. 24 jersey on stage with him at the Sports Illustrated the Party brought by the Undisputed Group on Saturday night.
Sports Illustrated The Party Brought To You By The Undisputed Group
Purple and gold were the colors to be seen wearing over Super Bowl LIV weekend, as even the mysterious Marshmello rocked a Lakers jersey as he headline the Sports Illustrated the Party at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Saturday night. Paul McCartney, Elon Musk, Lil Jon, Wiz Khalifa, Terrell Owens, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Saquon Barkley were among the A-list names partying by the pool or in the Casamigos VIP area.
Sports Illustrated The Party Brought To You By The Undisputed Group
Former San Diego Chargers player Shawne Merriman did the rounds of the party circuit in Miami, stopping in at the Sports Illustrated the Party at the Fontainebleau on Super Bowl eve.
Sports Illustrated The Party Brought To You By The Undisputed Group
The Players' Tailgate adjacent to Hard Rock Stadium was the place to be on Sunday afternoon before heading into the big game. Where else can you get BBQ sandwiches personally served from celebrity chef Guy Fieri? Proceeds from the event benefitted the Irie Foundation and Operation BBQ Relief, which provides emergency meals during times of crisis.
Jeff Lewis/AP Images for The Players Tailgate
ESPN host and Indiana native Sage Steele chatted on stage with Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard at the Players' Tailgate on Sunday afternoon. The "SportsCenter" host admitted she was still a little bias towards her hometown team.
Jeff Lewis/AP Images for The Players Tailgate
Members of the Operation Warrior Wishes displayed their team colors at the Players' Tailgate 2020 Miami by Bullseye Event Group on Sunday afternoon.
Jeff Lewis/AP Images for The Players Tailgate
Event host Sage Steele kept a tight hold of Charles Woodson's Intercept wine at the Players' Tailgate. With guests like Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chad Johnson and WWE's Mojo Rawley in the crowd, who can blame her?
Jeff Lewis/AP Images for The Players Tailgate
After playing in the Super Bowl last year, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald got to attend the VIP events this time around. On Friday, Donald (pictured here with Adam Lefkoe) was part of a Q&A at the Thuzio Party at Paramount Miami Worldcenter.
Thuzio
Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber posed with Thuzio co-founder Jared Augustine at their 2020 event, which was headlined by Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion, Steve Young.
Thuzio
While the weather was less than desirable, that didn't keep the cool kids away from Friday night’s Bootsy on the Water (where added water also fell from the sky courtesy of a violent Florida storm). Post Malone headlined the bash at Key Biscayne, with backup from Super Bowl MVP Von Miller (a.k.a. DJ Sauce Von the Don), DJ Zack Bia, DJ Irie, Fred Matters and Devin Lucien.
Getty Images for In the Know
Cleveland Brown QB and former No. 1 draft pick Baker Mayfield attended the Bootsy party with Emily Wilkinson, while Browns teammate Odell Beckham Jnr. was also spotted in the crowd.
Getty Images for In the Know
Katie Kansas brought a colorful crew of neon-clad girlfriends to the Bootsy on the Water, which was put on by the h.wood Group, In the Know Experiences and The Network Advisory.
Getty Images for In the Know
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Lady Gaga proves she knows how to make an entrance, Shaq pays tribute to Kobe, and Gronk just came to party
The Kansas City Chiefs were no doubt still partying well into Monday morning after their fourth quarter thriller in Hard Rock Stadium. But long before they took down the San Francisco 49ers, the top names in entertainment and sports hit the party scene in Miami.
