Halle Berry is backing Gayle King after the broadcaster shared painful details about discovering her ex-husband’s affair.
The ‘Monster’s Ball’ actress appeared on ‘Today With Jenna & Sheinelle’ on Thursday and praised King for speaking publicly about a betrayal from her marriage to William Bumpus. King recently said she found Bumpus cheating with a friend in 1990, a moment that clearly still carries weight decades later.
Berry understood that feeling. “It’s taking your power back, and I think we should talk about it. Absolutely,” Berry said. “And I’m proud of her for saying that and sharing this that happened.”
Then Berry pointed to herself and added, “Because it has happened to many of us.”
Halle Berry Said The Memory Never Fully Leaves
Berry then reflected on her own marriage to singer Eric Benét. The couple’s relationship was hit by a cheating scandal in the early 2000s, and Benét later admitted to cheating during their marriage.
The ‘X-Men’ actress said those moments do not simply disappear.
“You remember every detail of the whole situation, and it stays with you forever,” Berry said. “So when you can share it, somehow that’s therapeutic. It’s a catharsis when you can really share it, and someone else can say what their experience has been. So I appreciate her.”
Berry said she could not hide from what happened at the time because the story was “all over the news.” Still, she said she did not let shame control the situation. “I didn’t talk about it necessarily very publicly, but I did talk about it,” she said. “I did not carry the shame. I talked about it with my friends, I talked about it with other women.”
Gayle King’s Ex-Husband Apologized Publicly
King’s comments also stirred a major response from Bumpus.
During her appearance on ‘Call Her Daddy,’ King recalled the moment she said she caught Bumpus cheating with a friend. She remembered confronting the woman and saying, “I can’t believe that you are here and that you are doing this. I can’t believe that you are doing this.”
King also said she told the woman, “I thought we were friends!”
Bumpus later issued a public apology. “My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago,” he said. “Those actions were mine.”
King said she did not expect the apology. “I did not know he was going to do it,” she said. “When I got up this morning and read it, I was very, very surprised. He didn’t say anything to me about it, but I’m very appreciative.”
Berry Said Talking Helped Her Heal
Berry said she did not go on a public rampage after her own marriage scandal, especially because children were involved. Still, she did speak about it privately.
“There were children involved, I didn’t go on a public rampage about things, but I did talk about it, and it was very, very helpful,” she said. “I needed that.”
For Berry, King’s decision to speak plainly about the betrayal was not just gossip. It was a reminder that some wounds stay vivid, even decades later.
And sometimes, saying it out loud is the only way to stop carrying it alone.
