Gayle King: ‘It Was Oprah’s Decision’ To Leave Show

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Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King at the NAACP Awards, March 19, 2005
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Oprah Winfrey attends the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 29, 2004
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Oprah Winfrey and Sesame Street Muppet Elmo attend the Sesame Workshop’s Second Annual Benefit Gala June 2, 2004
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Oprah Winfrey attends the 30th Annual People’s Choice Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium January 11, 2004
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Oprah Winfrey takes to the mic as she wins the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Los Angeles, Sept. 22, 2002
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Rosie O’Donnell and Oprah Winfrey hold Emmys at an event, Dec. 6, 2000
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Oprah Winfrey poses at the 1st anniversary party for O magazine, NYC, April 17, 2001

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FIRST PUBLISHED: November 20, 2009 9:47 AM EST

NEW YORK, N.Y. --

Following the news that Oprah Winfrey will announce on her live show on Friday that her popular syndicated daytime talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” will end its run in 2011, her best friend Gayle King told Access Hollywood that the daytime queen was behind the decision to end her show.

“It was Oprah’s decision and Oprah’s decision alone,” Gayle told Access Hollywod Thursday night at Diddy’s 40th birthday celebration at The Plaza Hotel in New York.

Gayle told Access that she’s still processing the idea of Oprah not doing her current show. “It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact she won’t be there,” she said.

But Gayle said fans would still see Oprah on the small screen, but in a bigger way. “She will be going to her own network though,” she continued.

As for who might be Oprah’s last guest, Gayle said she’s looking forward to imagining who might be the last to chat with the daytime maven.

“Well, won’t that be a fun game to play?” Gayle posed.

“Really, that’s a good question…who should be?”

Oprah’s last show will air on September 9, 2011.

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