Oprah Defends BFF Gayle King After Anchor References Kobe Bryant Rape Allegations

Oprah Winfrey has been forced to publicly defend her best friend, Gayle King, over King’s interview Wednesday with WNBA player Lisa Leslie. King asked Leslie about the 2003 rape allegations against the late Kobe Bryant.

King’s questions in the interview sparked outrage on social media from fans, with a few notable celebrities like Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent chiming in to express their anger.

When Winfrey appeared on “Hoda & Jenna & Friends” on Friday, she was asked about how King is handling the recent backlash.

“She is not doing well,” Winfrey said. “She has now death threats and has to now travel with security and she’s feeling very much attacked. You know, Bill Cosby is tweeting from jail.”

Winfrey was emotional when talking about the difficult situation her friend has been put in. She said King “hasn’t slept in two days” either.

Since the interview aired, King has been the subject of not only intense criticism but also vicious threats against her as a person. Winfrey feels that it’s one thing to share your disagreement on a subject matter, but this is taking it too far.

“I think anybody can criticize anything, but the misogynist vitriol and the attacking to the point of it is dangerous to be in the streets alone because it is not just the people who are attacking, it's the other people who take that message and feel like they can do whatever they want to because of it,” Winfrey said.

Watch Winfrey defend King in the clip below: