Snoop Dogg Apologizes To Gayle King Over Kobe Bryant Comments

Snoop Dogg is issuing a public apology to CBS anchor Gayle King after ripping her for the Kobe Bryant interview ... and he wants to hash things out in private.

Snoop just issued his mea culpa to Gayle, saying the way he came at her with a profanity-laced social media rant was out of line.

As you know ... Snoop went nuclear on Gayle last week, heavily criticizing her for an interview she did with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, which included a question and follow up about Kobe's 2003 sexual assault case.

Now, Snoop admits he was wrong for lashing out at Gayle -- who says she's getting death threats for the Kobe question -- and he says he overreacted because he was rife with emotions and angry at her line of questioning.

Snoop says he was just trying to defend Kobe because Mamba can't defend himself, but he regrets the way he expressed his feelings.

As for why the change of heart ... Snoop says his mom gave him some sage advice. He added ... "2 wrongs don't make it right."

In his initial rant, Snoop called Gayle a "funky dog head bitch" and asked her, "How dare you try to tarnish my motherf***in' home boy's reputation, punk motherf***er? Respect the family and back off, bitch. Before we come get you."