Gayle King's Daughter Made Her Famous Mom a Grandma — Let's Meet Kirby Bumpus
Updated July 8 2023, 12:54 p.m. ET
Not every pregnancy gets to be announced on a morning news show. But in 2021, Gayle King set some time aside on CBS This Morning to announce that her daughter was pregnant, although she made it very clear that she is not looking to be called "grandma." Gayle's announcement was exciting for fans, but it left many wanting to know more about the daughter Gayle describes as her "favorite."
Who is Gayle King's daughter?
Kirby Bumpus is the 32-year-old daughter of Gayle King, and she's also Oprah's goddaughter. Kirby currently works as the head of social impact and inclusion at Sweetgreen, a fast-casual restaurant chain known chiefly for its salad. Prior to taking that position, she was working at the Department of Health and Human Services and then as an associate director for policy in the White House. As part of her work in the White House, she worked on Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative.
Kirby got married to Virgil Miller in a quiet ceremony in December of 2019. The ceremony featured only a small number of guests, including Gayle, Oprah, and Kirby's brother William, who officiated the ceremony.
Kirby and William Jr. are Gayle's only children with William Bumpus, who is now her ex-husband.
Gayle was ecstatic to become a grandmother.
Gayle again kept her audience in the loop when her grandson Luca was born in September 2021.
"Kirby got out of the hospital on Friday and I got on a plane, I left the set, got on a plane and I actually beat her home Friday 'cause it took so long to get released from the hospital," she said on air.
The proud grandmother went on to say, "I wanted to be a grandmother for a long time, and it's really something when you see your own child become a parent. I am so nuts about him. And then I was holding him, Kirby goes, 'You know, you have to support his neck.' Uh, okay! I actually know how to do this!"
Since becoming a grandmother — Luca reportedly calls her "Gaia" as in Mother Earth — Gayle has fully embraced the role, calling him her "favorite grandson."
Meanwhile, in a sweet Instagram post about her tight-knit family that Kirby shared shortly after her son's birth, the new mom gushed, "I’m so grateful for these invaluable moments I’ve had with my mom over the last few weeks and get all the feels when I think about our new dynamic, along with Luca’s growing love and relationship with his Gaia as he grows up!"
It seems there's a lot of love in this family and it is a beautiful thing to see. Meanwhile, as a fun aside, Luca reportedly calls Gayle's BFF Oprah "Auntie O."
