CBS' Gayle King says she's angry and mortified that her network promoted her interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie with a video clip that focused on questions about a sexual assault charge against Kobe Bryant
By
DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer
February 6, 2020, 5:59 PM
2 min read
NEW YORK -- In the wake of a social media backlash, CBS' Gayle King says she is embarrassed and angry with how the network promoted part of her interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie that concerned the late Kobe Bryant.
A video clip distributed on CBS News' social media accounts, taken from a wide-ranging “CBS This Morning” interview that aired Tuesday, focused on Leslie addressing a sexual assault charge that had been brought against Bryant and dismissed. Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
On Thursday, King posted a video in response on Twitter.
“I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I'd be extremely angry with me, too,” King said. “I am mortified, I am embarrassed and I'm very angry.”
CBS News had no immediate response Thursday to King's post.
In the interview, King asked Leslie whether Bryant's legacy had been complicated by the assault case. Leslie said it hasn't, and called on the media to be more respectful of Bryant's memory.
It was the clip that appeared to launch the backlash. The response included a profane video posted on Twitter by rapper Snoop Dogg telling King to back off, “before we come get you.”
