Gayle King moved to tears by Ava DuVernay’s TIME 100 tribute to her

By Blue Telusma

·April 18, 2019

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Thanks to her recent headline making-interviews, CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King has been included in TIME magazine’s list of 100 of the most influential people of 2019, and her friend Ava DuVernay could barely contain her excitement.

The Oscar-nominated director and producer wrote a heartfelt tribute, applauding King for successfully cultivating the abilities “the best journalists possess.”

“To be present, but not centered. To observe. To bear witness. Gayle has long honed this craft,” the passage read. “So the fact that this year she is being lauded as one of the all-time great broadcast interviewers is simply the perfect signifier, a few decades overdue.”

“Our eyes are now open as we bear witness to her, standing right in front of us, gracefully in the center,” she concluded.

In response to the honor of being included in the list, which also includes other heavy hitters like Nancy Pelosi, Taylor Swift and Sandra Oh, King wrote a message of her own on social media.

“It feels surreal & WONDERFUL to not only be included #time100 list but to make one of the covers. Wow!” she gushed in the Instagram caption. “Thank YOU @ava for a tribute that moved me tears .. to @cbsthismorning team who cheers me on.”

“Thinkin’ I’ll get extra copies of @ @TIME this week,” she concluded playfully. “Thanx time editors!!! Swipe left for happiness. Link in bio for Ava’s tribute.”

https://twitter.com/ava/status/1118537021729820677

Earlier this year King received praise from her viewers and colleagues alike for keeping her cool during an explosive interview with singer R. Kelly during the aftermath of the explosive Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly.

Kelly because intensely agitated and emotional while defending his innocence against multiple claims of sexual misconduct, at times jumping up from his seat in a way that many found menacing. In response to concerns from loved ones – including best friend Oprah Winfrey— who were worried about her safety, King assured everyone she felt no fear during the incident.

“I actually never thought that,” King admits. “I thought I might get accidentally clobbered, but I didn’t think that he would deliberately try to hurt me. I never felt in danger of talking to him. I just felt he had a lot of emotion, he wanted to release it.”