
JAY-Z says "being a beacon," helping out his culture is what matters to him most
Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter has been a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform. He spoke to "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King about his life and his work.
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Gayle King is an award-winning journalist and co-host of "CBS Mornings." She is also editor-at-large of Oprah Daily and hosts "Gayle King in the House," a live, weekly radio show on SiriusXM.
In a career spanning decades, King has been recognized as a gifted, compassionate interviewer able to break through the noise and create meaningful conversations. She's equally adept at talking with world leaders and top entertainment stars as well as regular people thrust into the news. She's also anchored the broadcast from around the world for breaking news and historical events.
King joined CBS News in 2011, and has since had revealing interviews including former President Barack Obama; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Bruce Springsteen; Dave Chappelle; Barbara Streisand; Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan; Alexis Ohanian; Ed Sheeran; Angela Bassett; Cherelle Griner; Dylan Farrow; Chris Rock; Elon Musk; Billie Eilish; R. Kelly, and Michelle Obama and her mother, Marian Robinson, in their first TV interview together. She also conducted the last interviews with Representative John Lewis and Cicely Tyson before their passing.
Her empathetic approach to her work at "CBS Mornings" has made it the destination for people reluctant to sit for interviews to tell their stories. For example, she has had exclusive interviews with Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter; Tiffany Chen; Megan Thee Stallion; Cherelle Grinter, wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner, then held in a Russian prison, and Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police in their home.
Her 2019 interview with singer R. Kelly made international headlines when he exploded during their sit-down, and was featured in a primetime special. She later interviewed Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, two women who lived with Kelly in Chicago at the time and were at the center of the controversy surrounding Kelly.
King led CBS News' on-the-ground coverage from the Texas border to reporting on the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy. She reported from Newtown, Connecticut. in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. She co-anchored CBS News' special coverage of several breaking news stories, including the Paris terrorist attacks, the San Bernardino shootings, the Supreme Court's landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage and the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. She co-anchored live broadcasts from Cleveland and Philadelphia for the 2016 Republican and Democratic Conventions, from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. prior to the museum's opening, as well as moderating CBS News' 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate in Charleston and co-anchoring CBS News' election night 2020 coverage. She also coanchored CBS News coverage of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Additionally, King has anchored multiple primetime specials, including "The Gayle King Grammy Special;" "BET News and Facebook Present: COVID-19: Black America's Fight;" CBS News' special on racism and police brutality "Justice for All;" "John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero;" BET's "Say Her Name: The Untold Story of Breonna Taylo;r" the BET primetime exclusive special "Cicely Tyson: In Her Own Words," honoring the life and legacy of the iconic actress; "Meghan and Harry Plus One;" "The Queen Carries On: A Gayle King Special;" "The Chauvin Verdict," and "Tulsa 1921: An American Tragedy." King previously co-anchored with Charles Barkley, "King Charles," a weekly, one-hour primetime program on CNN. King also hosted "The Gayle King Show," a live, weekday television interview program on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The program, which featured a discussion of a broad variety of topics that included politics and cultural developments, was also broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, where it premiered in 2006.
Before that, King worked for 18 years as an anchor for CBS affiliate WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut, during which she also hosted her own syndicated daytime program. Prior to joining WFSB, King worked at several other television stations, including WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Missouri., WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Md., and WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C.
King has received numerous awards for her work, including three Emmys. Most recently, King was honored with a Gracie Award for On Air News Talent and received the 39th Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism presented by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In 2018, she was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and in 2019 she was selected for the TIME 100, Time magazine's annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world. In 2024, King was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 60th anniversary magazine.
She's mother to favorite daughter, Kirby, and favorite son Will, and she currently resides in New York City.
Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter has been a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform. He spoke to "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King about his life and his work.
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