Gayle King Faces Backlash For Letting Gay Slur Slip On ‘CBS Mornings’

It turns out Saturday Night Live isn’t the only show facing heat for letting some bad words fly on live television this week.

Thursday on CBS Mornings, co-host Gayle King let a gay slur slip while quoting one of guest Matteo Lane‘s jokes to the comedian, igniting mixed reactions from audiences on social media.

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“Let’s talk about the stand-up. Can I just say one joke? I hope I don’t get in trouble,” prefaced King. “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?’ I thought that was hilarious. What does that mean?”

After suppressing his own laughter, Lane seemed validated as he responded, “I love you, Gayle King. 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.”

CBS has since removed the comment from later feeds of the show, as well as social media clips and the segment on YouTube and CBSNews.com.

While King’s guest was amused, not everyone on social media took away the same intended humor.

“Not okay with @GayleKing using the f-slur in her interview with #MatteoLane on @cbs,” wrote one person on X. “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.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 8 winner Bob the Drag Queen called the moment “honestly iconic,” sharing a clip on the platform.

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