Gayle King's Ex-Husband Apologizes For Cheating On Her

Gayle King's ex-husband is apologizing for cheating on her nearly 40 years ago with her own friend ... and the apology comes after Gayle rehashed the pain in a recent podcast.

William Bumpus tells TMZ ... "My deepest apologies to Gayle, to our daughter Kirby and her husband, Virgil, to our son William and his wife, Elise, and to our three grandchildren, for the pain I caused decades ago. Those actions were mine. I have long owned them — including publicly in my own words in 2016, which still stand."

He continues ... "Gayle has every right to share what was a painful chapter that changed the trajectory of our marriage and our family nearly forty years ago. I respect her right to tell her story, and that’s where I’ll leave it."

Gayle's ex adds ... "What I will say is this: I remain endlessly grateful to Gayle. She gave me two of the greatest gifts of my life — our daughter Kirby and our son William. It was Gayle who encouraged and supported me through getting my Yale Law degree. And it was Gayle who chose, with me, to co-parent successfully from the very beginning — a testament to our shared commitment to our children above all else, and now our grandchildren. The love and camaraderie we forged in that work have carried us all these years."

He says ... "Nearly four decades later, that commitment has only deepened, and Gayle and I remain in a good place. She recently sent warm wishes to Poet, my teenage daughter, on her 16th birthday, which meant a great deal to us both. As a private person by nature, I will admit that during our marriage I did not fully appreciate Gayle’s public life — I wanted ours to be more private, and that was something I wrestled with, and no reflection on her true talent and abilities. I am proud to have had a front-row seat to Gayle’s remarkable success, and I remain a genuine admirer and fan."

William concludes ... "I continue to work at being the best version of myself, grounded by the friendship, encouragement, and support of Gayle over the years, by the love of our grown children and our grandchildren, and by the daily privilege of raising Poet as a single dad. That is where my focus remains — on my family, on my clients, and on the work ahead."

ICYMI ... Gayle told her cheating story on Alex Cooper's popular "Call Her Daddy" podcast ... telling the Alex she got home earlier from the airport than expected and found her husband dressed only in a towel.

Gayle says William told her someone was in the room, but she went charging in anyway ... and found a close friend of hers dressed only in a towel. She says she distinctly remembers William driving her pal to the airport ... leaving her all alone in their home after discovering his infidelity.

GK says she later called her pal Oprah to vent ... with Oprah telling Gayle that William's infidelity was probably much worse than she imagined.