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Gayle King Sued Oprah Over Diddy Allegations, as Videos Claim?

Image courtesy of Getty Images

A rumor circulating online in the summer of 2024 claimed “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Gayle King filed a lawsuit against her decades-long friend, entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey. According to the rumor, the purported lawsuit related to criminal allegations against rapper and recording artist Sean “Diddy” Combs.
For example, on Sept. 22, a Snopes reader asked via email, “Is it true that Gayle King is suing Oprah over P. ‘Diddy’ allegations? I saw something on Facebook.”

However, this rumor was false. Further, any assertions claiming King and Winfrey were involved in Combs’ alleged crimes are unfounded.

The Federal Charges Against Diddy

This rumor spread in the days both before and following Combs’ arrest on Sept. 16. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York charged Combs with counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The Associated Press reported on Sept. 21:

Sean “Diddy” Combs created a hit-making empire with big name performers, earning his place as a savvy music mogul and becoming a three-time Grammy winner while securing high-profile deals across other industries.

But now, Combs’ kingdom is collapsing under charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was arrested in New York on Sept. 16 and accused in an indictment of using his “power and prestige” to induce female victims and male sex workers in “Freak Offs” along with allegations of abuse dating back to 2008.

If convicted, Combs could face at least 15 years in prison. He is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty.

A Facebook Page Managed from Indonesia Promoted the Rumor

The false rumor about King, Winfrey and Combs stemmed from videos published by untrustworthy gossip pages about Black celebrities, primarily on Facebook. All of the videos featured inauthentic narration created by an artificial-intelligence tool, meaning that a human used the tool to process text into spoken words.

For example, on Aug. 12, the Billy Benjamin Facebook page — with its eight page managers residing in Indonesia, according to the “page transparency” tab — posted a 43-second video (archived) with the title, “Gayle King Files Major Lawsuit Against Oprah Winfrey Over ‘Diddy’s’ Schemes.”

That video received 355,000 views. Other videos on the same page made similar claims and also displayed hundreds of thousands of views.

Without naming a source for its information, the video’s AI narrator said:

Today, we’re diving into a sensational story shaking the media world. Rumors are swirling that Gayle King has filed a lawsuit against her long-time friend Oprah Winfrey, accusing Oprah of implicating her in “Diddy’s” ongoing scandal. Let’s unravel this tale of friendship, drama and legal battles.

Oprah and Gayle’s bond, dating back to the 1970s, has been admired for its loyalty and support. But recently, things have taken a shocking turn. “Diddy’s” latest scandal — filled with serious allegations — has somehow drawn Oprah into the mix, raising eyebrows.

Now, Gayle’s name has surfaced, and she’s taking legal action, claiming Oprah’s comments have unintentionally damaged her reputation.

There was no evidence to support the assertion that King sued Winfrey, or that Winfrey had “implicated” her in Combs’ alleged criminal activities.

If, hypothetically speaking, there was even a sliver of truth to the claim — for instance, if King had filed a lawsuit — reputable entertainment media outlets would likely have interviewed parties involved and documented the event. That had not happened.

In short, the claim appeared to be made up from whole cloth for the purpose of gaining views online.

Photos of Celebrities Posing Together

Despite the fact that the videos’ underlying claims were false, the clips about King, Oprah and Combs could possibly seem believable because of the fact photos exist of Winfrey and Combs, as well as King and Combs.

However, pictures of two or more famous people together at a public event simply indicate one thing: that two or more people agreed to pose for a photograph.

With that mixture of the genuine photos and misleading information — as well as some emotionally-charged language — such videos with baseless celebrity rumors often generate hundreds or thousands of comments from online users.

Some of those comments indicate that people interpreted the videos to be real news. Those rumors later spread in online comments elsewhere, even though the users sharing them produce no evidence to support their assertions.