EXCLUSIVE The REAL motivation behind Gayle King's sudden friendship with Kris Jenner
The CBS Mornings host, 70, recently uploaded snaps of herself enjoying a luxury holiday in Spain with the famous millionaire momager, 69, as well as her best friend Oprah Winfrey, 70.
The lavish jaunt came after Gayle attended the controversial wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy.
While Gayle has been accused of becoming a 'sell out' for flaunting her pal, Kris, celebrity publicist and president of PR firm Interdependence, Sarah Schmidt, has offered insight into the possible motivations for the friendship in the first place.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail, Sarah claimed that the long-serving anchor seems to be focused on 'cultural staying power' as she looks toward a potential future retirement.
She said: 'Gayle came into the spotlight as Oprah's best friend and spent the last decade proving she was much more than that.
'She built credibility as a serious journalist. She was standing on her own, in her own power.
'Now, by flaunting her relationships with the likes of Kris Jenner and Lauren Sánchez, it feels like she's leaning back into the access that launched her career.
'But this shift comes with risk. Viewers still want to believe their news anchors are neutral and aren't part of the inner circle. But with the yacht photos, the SKIMS, and invite to billionaire weddings, it's clear that she is.'
Sarah added that Gayle seems to be looking for 'cultural staying power.'
'She may lose some of that hard-won credibility with longtime viewers, but in return, she's cementing herself in a different kind of power circle,' she continued. One that doesn't revolve around the newsroom.'
Daily Mail has contacted Gayle's representative for comment. A representative for Kris declined to comment.
In a series of Instagram uploads, Gayle revealed just days ago that she cozied up to Kris on a luxury yacht as they sailed around for a European getaway.
In one upload, she and Kris, along with Oprah, posed together on billionaire music mogul and philanthropist David Geffen's sprawling boat in their Skims and Roberto Cavalli robes.
Captioning the post, Gayle wrote: 'Don't you love when you admire what someone's wearing and THEN they give you one?
'That's how @krisjenner rolls on vacation! Loving this @skims and @roberto_cavalli collab. I didn't check with @oprah but I offered us up for a Skims campaign to promote if needed — you're welcome @kimkardashian.'
Following the post, however, Gayle's fans have made it clear that they feel unsettled by her new friendship and accused her of 'selling out.'
In another upload, Gayle showed off what the group got up to on the vacation, including a hike around the town.
The TV stars enjoyed a relaxed sunset in another snap showing them relaxing on beanbag-like pillows on the deck.
Before setting sail around Mallorca, Gayle and Kris looked chummy last month at Amazon billionaire Jeff and Lauren's wedding in Venice.
The pair were spotted departing the city with Oprah on June 29.
Before then, Kris and daughter Khloe Kardashian watched on site in Texas as Gayle, Lauren, Katy Perry and others lifted off in the divisive Blue Origin space trip.
They were also seen rubbing shoulders at the Met Gala in 2024.
According to insiders, Gayle and Kris's friendship dates back 20 years although its origin remains unclear.
Gayle has been a co-host on CBS Mornings since the show relaunched in 2012.
Originally, she hosted the program alongside Charlie Rose and Erica Hill, but Erica departed after a matter of months and Charlie was fired by the network amid claims of harassment.
At the time of writing, Gayle presents the show alongside Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson. She is also editor-at-large of Oprah Daily.
There has been no indication that Gayle plans to bow out of her role from CBS Mornings.
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