Gayle King & Oprah Winfrey Yelled At New Pope Leo At Inaugural
The world recently saw the election of a new Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, who already made history as the first pope to be born in North America. Many prominent people in the media got to witness the event and touch on the historic moment. Recently, Gayle King shared her reaction to seeing the new pope during his inauguration mass. In fact, a few other notable figures, including Oprah Winfrey, were there for the big event.
Gayle King & A Few Famous Friends Were At Pope Francis’ Inauguration Mass
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, was recently elected the pope of the Catholic Church following the passing of Pope Francis. Born in Chicago, Pope Leo is the first pope to be born in North America and, following his predecessor, is the second to come from the Americas.
The day after his election, May 9th, saw Pope Leo celebrate his first Mass as pope in the Sistine Chapel. His inauguration Mass was then held on May 18 in St. Peter’s Square.
Recently, Gayle King of CBS Mornings attended the inauguration mass. A few other prominent figures, like Oprah Winfrey and Maria Shriver, were by her side.
A few days following the event, King spoke with People about what it was like seeing the new pope. As she shared, “You’re sitting in the front row, and Pope Leo goes by in the popemobile! We are like, ‘Chicago, Chicago!'” At the time, King was at the Gordon Parks Dinner Annual Awards Dinner and Auction on May 20, 2025.
Of the three friends, only Shriver is Catholic. However, King admitted to being touched by the Pontiff’s presence. She shared, “You just felt something being in his presence. You really did.” She added, “We were excited to be there to witness history.”
Fans Noticed Something When King & Winfrey Shared A Video Of The Event
King and Winfrey also shared the moment they saw Pope Leo in a video on Instagram. Both shared the post on their personal accounts as well as through Oprah Daily.
A caption read, “This past Sunday, [Oprah Winfrey] and [Gayle King] attended the inaugural mass for @pontifex—and they captured the moment he drove by them in the Popemobile! It’ll be a moment they’ll never forget, especially for Chicago’s own Lady O.”
View this post on Instagram
Taking to the comments, fans shared their excitement with Oprah and Gayle during the historic moment. Watching the video, a few fans noted that it looked like Pope Leo might have recognized them in the crowd. Some comments included:
- “Pope is like I see you Oprah!”
- “Awwwww, what a special moment for you guys. This is definitely a beautiful memory always In your lives.”
- “Oh, he saw you and I believe he acknowledged you and Gail when you said to Chicago that’s really sweet.”
- “Yeyy! Pope Leo recognized Oprah’s voice!! And acknowledged!! How cool!!”
- “Awww. Pretty sure he got emotional to see you guys and hear his hometown mentioned.”
- “I just love this Pope. God bless my Pope.”
- “They shoulda start3d playing the Oprah Show theme song.”
Did you see King and Winfrey’s recent post? What do you think of this story? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
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