After a wild moment on air, long-time CBS anchor Gayle King is under fire from fans.
On an April 3 episode of “CBS Mornings,” Matteo Lane, an openly gay comedian, appeared on the show. During the segment with King, the host repeated a joke from Lane’s comedy routine.
“Let’s talk about the stand-up (special). Can I just say one joke? I hope I don’t get in trouble,” King said. “You do a riff about white women who approached you, and they said something about cooking, and you said, ‘What in the f—-try are you talking about?’”
Lane reacted to King repeating the joke and gay slur by laughing, prompting King to ask a few more questions regarding his routine.
“I thought that was hilarious. What does that mean?” King said.
“I love you, Gayle King,” Lane then replied. “It means exactly what you think it means. White women, they’re fine during the day, but they have one sip of a rosé, and they’re like, ‘Tonight’s about me!’ They won’t stop, I’m telling you. Horrible.”
After hearing the segment, fans rushed to social media to share their thoughts.
One fan wrote on X, “Did Gayle King just say that out loud on National TV!!!! I’m GAGGED! Literally, jaw dropped!”
Another wrote, “Not okay with GayleKing using the f-slur in her interview with #MatteoLane on cbs. That word has a very dark history for gay men. The fact it was used so casually and laughed at on morning TV, even if she was quoting his standup, is really depressing.”
“CBS Mornings” removed the slur from their social media feeds, and Lane shared a censored version of the show on his Instagram.
Neither King nor Lane have commented on the recent segment.