Oprah Winfrey Says Gayle King Is Getting 'Death Threats' Over Kobe Bryant Controversy - Watch Her Emotionally Defend Her Bestie!

Oprah Winfrey wants y’all to cut Gayle King some slack!

As we reported, the CBS This Morning host drew the ire of social media this week after CBS News tweeted out a clip of her interview with Lisa Leslie, during which King asked the WNBA star her thoughts about the late great Kobe Bryant’s rape charge.

Gayle responded to the uproar on IGTV, telling her followers that she was “mortified” over the network’s decision to post the snippet of her wide-ranging conversation with Leslie out of context. Unfortunately, a social media mob had already formed, and the likes of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and even imprisoned Bill C*sby slammed King for what they took as an attempt to take down a successful black man in the wake of his tragic death.

It all became so much that Oprah actually choked up when speaking out about the situation in an interview on Today with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Friday.

When asked how her bestie was doing, the media mogul grew emotional while revealing King was getting “death threats” because of the outrage-inducing clip. She shared:

“She is not doing well. She is not doing well because she now has death threats and has to now travel with security. She is feeling very much attacked. Bill C*sby is… tweeting from jail.”

The 66-year-old went on to defend King while putting the blame on whoever at the network decided to put up the inciting clip, continuing:

“She’s not doing well and feels that she was put in a really terrible position. In the context of the interview, everyone seemed fine, including Lisa Leslie. It was only because somebody at the network put up that clip. I can see how people would obviously be upset if you thought that Gayle was trying to just press to get an answer from Lisa Leslie.”

While Oprah knows this controversy will eventually blow over, she said the past few days have been rough for her bestie, noting:

“I was on the phone with her this morning. I was on the phone with her last night. I was on the phone with her the night before. I think you stand in the gap. You try and be there for your friends.”

Especially when they’re the victims of such intense, unnecessary hate. (Snoop, for his part, called King a “funky, dog-haired bitch” before telling her to “respect the family and back off, bitch, before we come get you.” Ugh.)

Oprah went on to denounce the “misogynist vitriol” that’s been fired at King by upset Kobe fans, adding:

“I think anyone can criticize anything, but the misogynist vitriol and the attacking to the point where it is dangerous to be in the streets alone because it’s not just the people who are attacking… It’s the other people who take that message and feel like they can do whatever they want to because of it.”

Very sad, and very true. Because C*sby’s takeaway was that there’s an epidemic of black women trying to tear down successful black men (like his rape accusers, he insinuated), hundreds of his followers can’t help but think the same thing — and Gayle’s safety is now at risk.

Let’s hope this blows over quickly. In the meantime, see what else The Mighty O had to say on the subject (below):

.@Oprah emotionally responds to backlash her friend Gayle King received over King’s recent interview about Kobe Bryant with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie: “She is not doing well because she has now death threats.” pic.twitter.com/M8HrCp8vTr

— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) February 7, 2020