Oprah Winfrey has been hospitalized with a stomach virus, her friend Gayle King revealed.
On June 11, the 70-year-old media mogul was noticeably absent from a scheduled appearance on CBS Mornings. Her longtime friend and CBS anchor King revealed during the segment that Winfrey was unable to appear on the program due to a “serious” stomach bug.
“She had some kind of stomach thing – stomach flu – stuff was coming out of both ends,” King said. “I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV. It was a very serious thing.”
While King noted that Winfrey was going to “rally” from the stomach virus, she still needed time to rest.
“She will be okay. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail,” King added about her pal. “But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and that it really bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today.”
In a statement shared to People, a spokesperson told the outlet that Winfrey is “recovering” following the stomach virus and “received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor.”
“She is resting and feeling better every day,” they added.
Meanwhile, the official Instagram account for Oprah Daily praised King for announcing her hospitalization on behalf of Winfrey.
“@oprah was scheduled to go on @cbsmornings today to announce her latest @oprahsbookclub selection. When she came down with a stomach virus over the weekend, @gayleking – being the best friend she is – offered to make the announcement for her,” the media company captioned a post. “We are happy to share that after receiving an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor, Oprah is feeling much better. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
The Oscar-winning actor was set to appear on CBS Mornings to unveil her latest book club pick, Familiaris, from author David Wroblewsk. Despite her hospitalization, Winfrey still took the opportunity to promote the book on social media.
“Summer is here and I love to settle in with a big book that takes me through the season,” Winfrey captioned her Instagram post on Tuesday. “So today I’m thrilled to announce that my next @oprahsbookclub selection is Familiaris by @davidw4words!”
