Gayle King officially doesn't have just a "favorite" son, she has a favorite daughter-in-law as well!
On Tuesday, the co-anchor announced on the show that her son William Bumpus Jr., who recently celebrated his 37th birthday, had tied the knot with now-wife Elise Smith — at Oprah Winfrey's house no less!
The veteran news anchor has long referred to Will as her "favorite son," as he is in fact her only son with ex-husband William Bumpus, who she was married to from 1982 to 1993; the former couple also shares daughter Kirby Bumpus, who turned 38 in May.
"My favorite son Will and my new favorite daughter-in-law Elise Smith tied the knot on Sunday, June 2," Gayle announced, revealing that the newlyweds' first date was on a second of the month, they met on the second of the month, and they got engaged on the second of the month, back in February.
As photos flashed of the wedding, including one featuring Oprah — who has been Gayle's best friend since their early 20s — she added: "Oprah of course was there, because it was at Oprah's house," and joked: "It's always nice when she lets us use [her house,]" and that the "venue" has "very reasonable" prices.
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Gayle continued: "I love favorite daughter-in-law Elise, I call her lovely Elise," and gushed over her stunning wedding dress, a classic, strapless gown to which she later added puffed sleeves during the party.
View post on XShe also shared that her favorite part of the whole day was the vows, which the two wrote themselves. "At one point Will said, 'I know the man I am but with you I know the man I want to be,' that gave me goosebumps."
"And clearly, both of them said, "I see you, I will always see you, I will always be here,' What they are to each other, I've never seen love like the two of them have," she went on, noting: "There is something about these two that is epic and next level."
Gayle also noted: "It's always nice when you can see your children happy and married," and revealed that her ex-husband William was also in attendance with his girlfriend, and it was "all good."
After Will Jr. and Elise got engaged — also with the help of Oprah — Gayle shared on Instagram: "It has happened! Favorite son @willgb3 has found his person and I now have a favorite daughter-in-law to be: The lovely @elisemariesmith! There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen and a lot of planning went into this moment, so here's some behind the scenes… now just waiting for the date of the wedding!"
MORE: Gayle King and Charles Barkley launching new primetime show with CNN: 'Kindness always works'
Will graduated from Duke University in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and Asian & Middle Eastern studies, and has previously worked for companies such as Perella Weinberg Partners, Sherpa Capital, Headspace, and Activision.
In 2017, he graduated with a master's degree in business administration from Stanford University, and today is a partner at Westbound Equity Partners, a venture capital firm forced on "underrepresented founders."
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