Gayle King Warned That a Bear Was Spotted Outside of Oprah's House

Gayle King had some breaking news brought to her for once -- she got told that a bear was roaming around outside of Oprah's house ... and no, she couldn't sneak a peek.

The CBS News anchor is quarantining at O's pad in Santa Barbara, and as such ... she documented the message delivered to her by mogul's own guards who are standing watch at the crib. Long story short ... there was a black bear outside, and they wanted her to stay put.

You gotta watch how Gayle receives the word though -- it's pretty freakin' hilarious. While she seems shocked at hearing there's a fully-grown bear out there, she also sounds equally intrigued.

Unfortunately, the security personnel stands firm ... telling her she really shouldn't venture out to get a look. And, don't worry, Oprah herself was notified as well -- doesn't appear she was home for the bear scare ... a phenomenon we've been seeing a lot more of lately.

Maybe the fact people are cooped up indoors is reason enough for these fuzzy creatures to be a little bit bolder these days. That, or maybe they just got a whiff of some leftover grub.

That usually brings 'em out ... even to the homes of the rich and famous, apparently.