Gayle King makes talk show history with Oprah and Stedman

Television's newest talk show host Gayle King has already gotten herself into the history books by featuring her best friend, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, and Winfrey's significant other, Stedman Graham, on "The Gayle King Show."

King's show marks the first time Winfrey and Graham were interviewed together on a talk show. And for the first time, two daytime talk shows were linked together by satellite on one show.

Graham joined King in her Hartford, CT, studio while Winfrey joined them by satellite from Chicago.

The first episode in the two-part series was an up-close and personal profile of Graham that included a visit to his hometown of Whitesboro, NJ. In the second episode, Winfrey talked candidly about her relationship with Graham and her 2-year friendship with King.

Members of King's audience and Winfrey's audience in Chicago posed questions to the couple.

Winfrey said there are no immediate plans for her and Graham to tie the knot.

"I think we have deep, love and caring for each other and respect," she said. "Every day we get asked a question about When are you getting married?'... and I say it works so well the way it is, I wouldn't want to mess it up. I think that for us, this is what works right now, which is not to say that we never would get married."

Winfrey added that they have not discussed a wedding date since the day they decided to cancel it. "Stedman said he didn't want it conflicting with the book opening.. and I said, `Oh-OK..then we won't have it that day,' end we have never discussed it since." Oprah's book was due out the same day as their planned wedding.

Winfrey also revealed that what makes her and Graham's relationship work is honesty.

"He (Stedman) is one person who would tell me the truth...and I would tell him the truth."

One time Graham was honest was when he visited Winfrey while she was on tour with Tina Turner, wearing her Tina Turner wig.

"I said, `Do you have anybody around there who will tell you the truth?...You need to take that wig off! You think you look good...but I'm telling you'...they're saying, `Why is that girl running around with that Tina Turner wig on?'" Graham said on the show.

About her best friend, Winfrey said what she loves most about King is her ability to keep the talk show queen grounded.

"I've acquired a lot of material things over the years. In spite of all the things that have happened to me, we laugh every night about one thing or another. She absolutely keeps me grounded."

Stedman revealed to King that despite what the tabloids have said, he doesn't think King spends too much time with her best friend.

"I think it's therapeutic for Oprah to have someone she can talk to and tell everything about her day and everything about her week, and you know, you are that person; you are that special person without feeling she has to hold something back," he said.

COPYRIGHT 1997 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning