Gayle King Receives Terrifying Warnings After Being Coaxed Into Having Alcohol for the First Time
Broadcast journalist Gayle King has long been known for living a strait-laced lifestyle — until recently when she seemed to tilt her halo just a bit during an interview with country singer Shaboozey on “CBS Mornings.”
Meeting with the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer in a cozy green room, King, 69, sat at a barrel table set with two bottles of Jack Daniel’s and glasses filled with the bourbon.
Though the setup made sense for Shaboozey’s brand, as the country star sings, “Someone pour me up a double shot of whiskey. They know me and Jack Daniel’s got a history” in his chart-topping hit, it was surprising given that King, who doesn’t drink, was to take a few sips with the rising star.
King joked before the interview, evening getting herself a mocktail before the sit-down backstage at one of his shows.
When King and Shaboozey finally connected, she went into full interview mode, preparing herself to take a drink with the singer/ songwriter.
“Do you really like Jack Daniel’s?” she asked Shaboozey, who recently worked with Beyoncé on her 11-time Grammy-nominated album, “Cowboy Carter.”
The singer replied, “I love Jack Daniel’s.”
“So, you guys really do have history?” she joked, referencing his lyrics.
As Shaboozey shed a little light on his “history” with the liquor, he added, “Man, you know we’ve had some fun together, especially recently.”
This kind of fun King knows nothing about.
The host leaned in and bemoaned, “It doesn’t taste good,” but the singer brushed her off, explaining that he enjoys it and reassuring her she didn’t have to drink it just because it was set up for the segment.
The bit shocked everyone on the set who knows how adamant King is about not drinking. Even a voice off-camera teased, “Not Gayle is about to try alcohol.”
She looked up, clinked glasses with the Virginia native, and took a timid sip.
After taking a small taste, she made a face, stuck out her tongue in disgust, and exclaimed, “That is awful. This is the first time I’ve ever done this. Look what you made me do!”
King then called for someone to bring her water.
When she posted the moment on Instagram, fans were shocked to see her drinking, let alone on television.
“Not sure why you’ve never drank alcohol—but it is totally ok that you haven’t—but I hope this didn’t send you down a dark path,” one fan commented.
“Better stay off the booze, Gayle,” another added. “There’s nothing wrong with being a non-drinker.”
Another tried to stop her virtually, writing, “Don’t do it, Gayle. Lol,” while one more warned, “Jack is not your friend.”
Others offered tips, with one advising, “First-time drinker, you have to add ice & maybe mix with a Coke.”
Even a social media coordinator from Oprah Daily joined in, saying, “Now you have to take shots with @Oprah! She’s been asking for 40 years!!!”
Oprah has often teased King about her non-drinking habits. During their CNN show with Charles Barkley, Oprah shared a story about King’s unusual drink request at Tina Turner’s wedding reception in 2013.
“We were at Tina Turner’s wedding and she asked for milk, OK?” Oprah recalled.
This wasn’t the first time Oprah playfully called out her best friend. In a social media post, she quipped, “Gayle doesn’t drink; I do.”
Thank you, @Oprah, for my official 2020 slogan: “Gayle doesn’t drink, I do.” pic.twitter.com/OaCeZOxi6T
— Will Reid (@wreid) December 29, 2019
King has drank alcohol before, but that was years ago when she was in high school.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she shared that her last drink was “as a teenager at a Christian youth leadership conference.”
“I threw up for three days,” she remembered. “I never want to feel that way again. Oprah tells me there are very good wines I can try, but I don’t drink.”
Few could believe that it had been over five decades since she’d had a drink, even the “Drink Don’t Need to Mix” chart-topper.
He asked her during the segment, “You don’t drink at all? That’s a great way to be. That’s why you look great.”
As she slipped in she likes “Martinelli’s,” a popular apple juice, he repeated, “You look great.”
Though fans speculated that Shaboozey’s charm might have swayed her, he even asked her about wine, but they were wrong. From her reaction, no one has to worry about her making a habit of drinking Jack Daniel’s.
