Gayle King’s Son Will Bumpus Jr. Marries Elise Smith on Oprah Winfrey’s Property
Written by Rtradio on June 4, 2024
Gayle King‘s family has officially grown by one! The CBS Mornings host shared on Tuesday that her “favorite son,” Will Bumpus Jr., tied the knot over the weekend, marrying her now “favorite daughter-in-law,” Elise Smith.
King, 69, shared the news during Tuesday’s broadcast, sharing a handful of photos and special memories from the day. The journalist’s longtime best friend, Oprah Winfrey, was featured in the one of the shots, with King revealing the the wedding was hosted at Winfrey’s home on Sunday.
“Oprah, of course, was there because it was at Oprah’s house,” King said, adding with a chuckle that “it’s a very nice venue” and “the prices are very reasonable.”
The mother of two — who also shares 38-year-old daughter Kirby with her ex-husband, Will Bumpus — added that the media mogul surprised the couple with a show-stopping touch to close out the evening.
“Oprah arranged this, nobody knew this was happening,” she began. “When they were leaving, they arranged fireworks that they could walk through as they’re coming down the aisle.”
King said that the event was an intimate family affair, and that the couple plans to celebrate again with a “dance party for their friends” at a later date.
The bride — a co-founder of the workplace equity organization Praxis Labs — wore a strapless Amsale gown, which she accessorized after the ceremony with the addition of two puff sleeves. She carried a bouquet of classic white blooms.
The groom opted for a two-tone look, pairing a white jacket and shirt with black pants and a black bow tie.
According to People, 37-year-old Will works as a Managing Partner at Phoenix Rising, a partner at Concrete Rose Capital, and founded the nonprofit organization, reWerk.
“My favorite part of the ceremony were the vows,” King gushed of the ceremony on Tuesday. “They both of course wrote their own vows and at one point, Will said, ‘I know the man I am, but with you I know the man I want to be.’ That gave me goosebumps.”
She added, “You go to weddings and everybody’s in love, but there is something about these two that I thought was very epic. It was next level. So it’s always nice when you can see your own children happy and married.”
For her part, King was previously married to Will and Kirby’s father from 1982 to 1993. She said on Tuesday that her ex and his new girlfriend were both on hand for Sunday’s festivities, and that there was nothing but love between them all.
“That was all good,” she said, as her co-hosts poked fun at her and asked whether she exchanged words with her former flame.
“Yeah!” she fired back. “I said, ‘Hi’ and hugs and everything.”
King couldn’t help but poke a bit of fun at her ex in a recent interview with ET while celebrating the launch of her Sports Illustrated cover last month, saying that both her children had already reached out to her about the mag.
“Both of them said to me separately, ‘Mom, this is really cool. We’re very proud of you,'” King shared before jokingly adding, “I wonder what my ex-husband is saying. I’m gonna send him a copy!”
Bumpus Sr. later spoke out in response, sharing a message of support for his ex-wife.
“Well, I can mark off one more item on my highly unlikely to ever happen bucket list! My teenage fantasy of hooking up with a Sports Illustrated Model has finally come true,” the lawyer wrote in a statement to Page Six. “WOW! Bravo to you Gayle … You Look Fantastic! Bravo to Sports Illustrated for selecting YOU!”
He added that King has always “been Beautiful Inside and Out (sic).”
“I appreciate you more and more as time goes on, as a trailblazer, and also when I see our phenomenal kids and grandkids!” he wrote. “I am proud of you and continue to wish you nothing but happiness. Enjoy!”
Bumpus Jr. isn’t the first to exchange vows on Winfrey’s property. Back in 2020, he officiated his older sister’s socially distant wedding ceremony as she married Virgil Miller at the meaningful venue.
Kirby recently welcomed her second child, a daughter, earlier this year. She is also mom to a 2-year-old son, Luca.
“There’s something about seeing your own child become a mother that I can’t even explain it, what that feels like, what that looks like,” King previously told ET about becoming a grandmother. “And she’s so good. She’s so good!”
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