RUSH: Audio sound bite time. It turns out that Oprah’s BFF, Gayle King, happens to agree with me. Well, she may not know it. By the way, I wish I could remember when this was. And, Gayle, I’m not trying to ruin your reputation here. This has to be 10 or 15 years ago now when Gayle King had not yet gotten into media or maybe was doing some local radio show that was supposedly nationally syndicated.
At any rate, Gayle King had some very complimentary things to say about me as a broadcaster, as a professional, and I was shocked. She said I’m fun to listen to, very talented, this kind of thing. I haven’t heard it since. I figure she was gotten to. She has agreed with me in one sense — although she doesn’t know it, I don’t think. It’s about the catcall video. They were discussing it on CBS This Morning. Gayle King, fill-in host Jeff Glor, and the cohost, Norah O’Donnell.
O’DONNELL: This is extremely common. It happens all the time to me and I’m just amazed that people have the brazenness to say (chuckles) the things that they do.
KING: I’m just sitting here, Norah, going, “I’m not gonna get upset because somebody said, ‘Hey, girl, you look good today!'” That — You know what I say? I twirl and say, “Thank you.”
O’DONNELL: (giggling)
KING: It would be different if there’s, you know, throwing you on the ground and say, “Hey, I want to boink your brains out.
AUDIENCE: (laughing)
KING: For the most part… Some of that stuff was inappropriate, but the most part, they’re just saying, “Smile,” and, “You look good!”
GLOR: I hope they’re not saying that, Gayle!
KING: No, but I mean — but there is a difference between someone that goes over the line and somebody that just says, “You look great.”
O’DONNELL: Oh. Yeah. Yeah.
KING: To me there’s a line, and —
O’DONNELL: Right, there is a line.
KING: — I guess you just have to know where the line is.
O’DONNELL: Yeah, and not be threatening about it.
KING: Yes, yes. In the meantime, I just say, “Thanks.”
RUSH: Now, what she’s talking about, what Gayle King is talk about, if you watch this video, the vast majority of the comments are along the lines of, “Hey, girl! You look good today.” You watched it. Am I right about that? The first time I watched it, I honestly said, “Wait a minute, where all the insults? Where’s the intimidation?” There’s some, but I couldn’t believe… This is what’s fascinating to me.