Gayle King and R. Kelly. Photo: CBS On Wednesday, the first part of Gayle King’s interview with R. Kelly — his first television interview since being charged with ten counts of felony aggravated criminal sex abuse — aired on CBS This Morning. Through the interview, Kelly denied any wrongdoing, while also yelling, crying, and appearing to lash out at King in rage. Meanwhile, King remained composed and didn’t let his temper throw her off her game at all — and in the process, reminded the world that she is, and always has been, an incredibly skilled interviewer and journalist. And now, King has opened up to O, The Oprah Magazine — where she serves as editor-at-large — about the experience. Wow. Gayle Kings composure in front of #RKelly is stunning. Her interview with him airs Wednesday on @CBSThisMorning pic.twitter.com/bFSVNaxXsZ — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) March 6, 2019 “I was not scared. I never thought he was going to hit me,” King told writer Arianna Davis. She further said that she was “never worried” he was going to hurt her; instead, she was worried he would leave. King continued: “So what I was really thinking to myself was: I’m not done with this interview, so I’m going to let him have his moment. If I stood up even to comfort him, that could have been his invitation to say ‘This is over.’ So I didn’t interrupt his anger and let him have that.” King went on to say that she “just knew” she wasn’t in danger. “I did worry at some points that he might accidentally hit me, because he was so angry that he was flailing,” she added. “But I knew that I wasn’t in any real danger. I just kept thinking ‘Okay, Robert, go ahead’ and that’s what I said.” The second part of King’s interview with R. Kelly airs on Thursday morning. Read the full O, The Oprah Magazine interview here. Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.<doc-sep>Gayle King recently landed one of the biggest interviews of the year to date, with “embattled singer” R. Kelly. The R&B star sat down with the journalist on CBS This Morning to discuss his recent arrest on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Oprah Winfrey took to social media to praise her longtime best friend for doing an excellent job and keeping her cool as Kelly became increasingly hysterical. Winfrey also echoed the sentiments of viewers who are ready to see the interview in its entirety. “Bravo @GayleKing for calm and and steady focus during #RKelly interview. Outstanding job! Tell @CBSThisMorning we want to see the whole thing.” Kelly flew into an emotional rage when addressing questions about claims that he’s holding multiple women against their will. “How stupid would I be to do that? That’s stupid. … Y’all killing me with this sh*t. I gave y’all 30 years of my f*king career. Thirty years of my career, and y’all trying to kill me,” he screamed. Watch the clip below.<doc-sep>Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay and Norah O’Donnell are among the names from Hollywood and TV news praising what Winfrey called Gayle King’s “calm and steady focus” as singer R. Kelly went ballistic during an interview that aired today on CBS This Morning. Reaction to Kelly wasn’t so positive. “Key things we learned from the R. Kelly interview,” tweeted attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents two of Kelly’s alleged victims. “1. R Kelly is a much better singer than he is an actor; 2. He is desperate and distraught because he knows he has been caught. 3. He thinks sexual assault of young girls in the ‘way way past’ cannot be charged. 4. He is guilty.” Saturday Night Live‘s Chris Redd tweeted that “Aunti @GayleKing lit a fire under Kelz dirty ass,” while attorney and victims rights advocate Lisa Bloom summed up a ubiquitous Twitter reaction: “To show how respectful he is to women, R. Kelly screams and rants at Gayle King.” Related Story R. Kelly Explodes During Gayle King Interview, Claims He's Being 'Assassinated' By Accusers Kelly was indicted on 10 counts involving sexual abuse last month and pleaded not guilty. The recent Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly chronicled claims of the singer’s longtime sexual abuse of underage girls. “There’s a lot going on in these R. Kelly clips,” DuVerney tweeted. “But one thing that jumps out is how direct, super clear and no frills these questions are by @GayleKing. She’s asking exactly what most of us would ask if we were in her seat. Crazy how refreshing it is. Speaks to how rare it is.” Here is a sampling of the social media responses to the interview: Bravo @GayleKing for calm and and steady focus during #RKelly interview. Outstanding job! Tell @CBSThisMorning we want to see the whole thing. — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 6, 2019 There’s a lot going on in these R. Kelly clips. But one thing that jumps out is how direct, super clear and no frills these questions are by @GayleKing. She’s asking exactly what most of us would ask if we were in her seat. Crazy how refreshing it is. Speaks to how rare it is. https://t.co/Pt0ISn32sM — Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 6, 2019 Gayle is poised, tough and she reads aloud the names of many of the women who have accused R. Kelly of abuse. This is Journalism at its best. Exposing alleged corruption and evil. Abuse… https://t.co/NHg8ywXrp5 — Norah O'Donnell🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) March 6, 2019 To show how respectful he is to women, R. Kelly screams and rants at Gayle King. https://t.co/pyAGdTAjJU — Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) March 6, 2019 Auntie @GayleKing lit a fire under Kelz dirty ass — Chris Redd (@Reddsaidit) March 6, 2019 This R. Kelly interview had a ton of triggering things in it…but can we just let him know he doesn’t have to check if cameras are on 5 times mid-interview? They don’t turn them off right before you get MORE hysterical, guy. — Chris Redd (@Reddsaidit) March 6, 2019 Methinks R. Kelly doth protest too much. Reminded me of Kavanaugh sniveling in that hearing. Just sayin'. — Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 6, 2019 R- Kelly was watching the Bret Kavanaugh interview and was like “if I get loud they’ll think I’m innocent” — Paul Elia (@paulelianiceguy) March 6, 2019 On another news…. I do NOT believe you R. Kelly. #rkellyinterview pic.twitter.com/yMMzspHusy — Finesse Mitchell (@Finessemitchell) March 6, 2019 Really good interviewing @GayleKing … and R Kelly is still the worst pic.twitter.com/wnX6ci4qJb — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 6, 2019 And some from the string of tweets from Avenatti that began last night when CBS previewed clips from the interview: R. Kelly’s tears are out of fear and despair. Because he knows that after over two decades of sexually abusing underage girls, we blew this wide open and have him and his enablers dead to rights. #Justice — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 6, 2019 Someday very soon, law students from across the country will learn what NOT to do by studying the decision to have R. Kelly sit (and stand) for an in-depth TV interview while facing multiple felony charges. Truly unbelievable. — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 6, 2019 Key things we learned from the R. Kelly interview: 1. R Kelly is a much better singer than he is an actor; 2. He is desperate and distraught because he knows he has been caught. 3. He thinks sexual assault of young girls in the “way way past” cannot be charged. 4. He is guilty. — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 6, 2019<doc-sep>
Gayle King caught the attention of millions when she sat down for an explosive interview with R. Kelly. As expected, the intense discussion has garnered tons of reactions from R. Kelly's fans and the many viewers who believe he's guilty. But apparently, Oprah Winfrey is also part of the millions of people who viewed the segment. Now, she's reportedly sharing her reaction to her best friend Gayle King's highly publicized interview. According to The Jasmine Brand, Oprah Winfrey took to Twitter to commend her best friend. Not only did the billionaire businesswoman applaud her friend for her journalistic integrity, but she also noted how she remained calm despite R. Kelly's antics. Although it's no secret Oprah watched the interview, her reference to Gayle's calm nature was likely based on the part of the interview where iconic photos captured R. Kelly becoming unhinged. In just a short period of time, Oprah Winfrey's tweet has gone viral with her followers flooding the post with their reactions to the interview. The latest news follows a massive news cycle about R. Kelly, his sex tapes, and his alleged sexual involvement with underage girls. For the first time this year, R. Kelly has opted to speak publicly about the mounting allegations against him. Bravo @GayleKing for calm and and steady focus during #RKelly interview. Outstanding job! Tell @CBSThisMorning we want to see the whole thing. — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 6, 2019 From the incriminating interviews featured on Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly to the charges he's currently facing, R. Kelly and Gayle touched on all of the intense topics when the Grammy Award-winning singer appeared on CBS Morning News. While many parts of the interview have been highlighted, one of the most notable parts of the interview centered on R. Kelly's outburst where he nearly lost it trying to defend himself against the ongoing allegations. A distraught R. Kelly leaped from his chair screaming as Gayle King held her composure. At one point, the singer's outburst was so bad, he reportedly had to be restrained. The photos from the interview have gone viral and, like Oprah Winfrey, many viewers have also commended Gayle for remaining calm despite R. Kelly's explosive outbursts. Although R. Kelly wasn't exactly pleased with some of the questions Gayle asked, the interview is likely just one of many interrogations to come. R. Kelly is currently facing 10 charges of aggravated sexual assault in connection with four alleged victims. So far, attorney Michael Avenatti - the celebrity attorney representing one of R. Kelly's unnamed victims - has confirmed two sex tapes have been turned over to Cook County, Illinois, prosecutors. However, he has also indicated that a third tape could be uncovered in the very near future. It is unclear whether or not the third tape features a different underage girl, but R. Kelly could face additional charges if there is another alleged victim. If convicted on the 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault, R. Kelly could face a maximum of 70 years in prison.