Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey attend the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Originally appeared on E! Online
While she didn't quite jump on a couch, watching Gayle King's reaction to her surprise birthday party may make you leap on yours with joy.
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Oprah Winfrey organized a star-studded early celebration for her longtime BFF, who will turn 70 Dec. 28. In a video shared on the pair's Instagram pages Dec. 14, the CBS Mornings cohost is seen walking into a busy restaurant with the TV mogul and be greeted by a gathering of a large number of their friends shouting, "Surprise!"
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King then staggers backwards in shock, tosses her purse on a nearby table and puts her hands on her chest.
"My bestie of 50 years is turning 70 so we gathered everyone that loved her to celebrate," Winfrey captioned the post. "Hard thing to surprise her, O the stories we have made up, the lies we have told to keep this a secret. Happy birthday @gayleking, sorry we almost gave you a heart attack."
King later explained how the stunt was pulled off. "Talk about a surprise !!!" she wrote on her Instagram page. "I thought I was going to @oprah’s holiday dinner for the @oprahdaily team at her favorite restaurant @cisiamonyc and then THIS happened …."
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The group, which appeared to include Robert De Niro and Beyoncé's mom Tina Knowles, soon began singing "Happy Birthday" to King.
She wore a teal fringed dress to the disco-themed event, which featured gold mirror ball walls and accents and plenty of dancing, as seen in images shared by CBS Mornings producer Gisela Margarita Pérez. The guest of honor was presented with a four-tier birthday cake adorned with a figure made in her likeness.
Winfrey, who celebrated her own 70th birthday in January, gave a speech at her bestie's party. "Thank you all so much for coming through for my best friend," she told the crowd, holding King's hand.
Many other celebrities expressed their well wishes online.
"Wow!" John Legend wrote in the comments section of King's second post. "Happy birthday Gayle! We love you!
Hoda Kotb said, "The best!!!!!! Happy 70th."
