Gayle King set social media ablaze with the release of her interview with Lisa Leslie discussing the legacy of Kobe Bryant. The release of the teaser outraged friends and fans alike with the clip focusing on Gayle questioning Leslie on the past allegations of Bryant's sexual assault case. Setting aside that the case was dismissed and settled out of court, and the fact that Bryant hasn't been laid to rest yet, Gayle still thought it crucial to mention this. The backlash was immediate, leading to King post a video reacting to the public backlash and an attempt to give her side of the story.
However the damage was done, with outrage coming from celebrities such Snoop Dogg and Boosie, which created it's own backlash amid claims of misogyny and now only a few days later the narrative has been changed with the focus now being on how Black men treat and speak to Black women.
Here's the thing, yes the teaser for the interview was shown out of context and presented the idea that it was about the sexual assault case in its entirety, and yes Gayle was technically doing her job as a journalist but it doesn't negate that the question was inappropriate to ask. It was not only disrespectful to his passing but also to his wife and family. Of course, the clip was chosen to attract as much attention as possible, and while it worked Gayle certainly can't be shocked by the outrage the question itself caused and the focus and redirection of how this rage is shown only distracts from the real issue at hand. And yes, while Snoop's words were colorful one shouldn't have seriously taken his words as a threat. They were passionate words spoken by a man in mourning, something all can relate to. This doesn't quite fit the criteria for being misogynistic. Now that Gayle's best friend has revealed how King has since received death threats since the clip aired Snoop Dogg has replaced Gayle as public enemy no. 1 leading the rapper to issue his own apology, in response to being criticized for threatening King.
