[Ed Gordon:] Five years ago, Oprah Winfrey entered the world of magazine publishing. Much like her television show, the magazine's articles touch readers of all ages, races and backgrounds. Today, O is going strong with a circulation of more than two million. Gayle King is editor at large and Oprah's closest friend. Let's talk a little bit about five years, the fifth...
[Ms. Gayle King:] I know.
[Ed Gordon:] ...anniversary for this maga-I was shocked, honestly, when I saw that. Does it seem like five years?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Were you shocked because we made it or were you shocked because it's five years and it...
[Ed Gordon:] No. Now you know...
[Ms. Gayle King:] ...just seems like yesterday?
[Ed Gordon:] ...I would not be shocked that whatever Ms. Winfrey puts...
[Ms. Gayle King:] What are you trying to say, Mr. Gordon?
[Ed Gordon:] ...her face on, I would not be shocked.
[Ms. Gayle King:] What are you saying? Oh.
[Ed Gordon:] But just-it did seem like yesterday to me.
[Ms. Gayle King:] No, I hear you. I hear you so loud and clear, and it is interesting to me that it's been five years. And when we started this magazine, they said, `You know, most magazines are very difficult. If it succeeds, it'll be at least five years to make a profit or break even.'But, you know, the Oprah brand is so strong that I went into it saying it was ours to lose, in that she has a following, people love her, but if you don't deliver, it doesn't matter what you do. So, so far, knock on wood-I'm knocking on wood, people, Ed's head-I'm knocking on wood, and so far, so good.
[Ed Gordon:] Did you believe that you could really crank out a magazine monthly that essentially is to self-help, to empower?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Well, I actually did, and I don't look at it so much as self-help as I do about happiness. It really does resonate with women. It really does want you to be happy where you are. And if you're not, here are some things that maybe you should think about. But I don't know, you know, every month...
[Ed Gordon:] But don't you think that most of us need that help to get there, unfortunately?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah, we do. We do. And sometimes, we don't even know that we need it. But every month, you have to come up with some thing. You know, when we sit around a room and kick around ideas and, you know, things just start to fall into place.
[Ed Gordon:] What do you say to those who are critical and say that what they hear from Oprah and will read in the magazine is too simplistic?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Who's critical? Who are those people?
[Ed Gordon:] Yeah. Let's find them, right?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah, bring them over here. Let's step outside. You know, I think that that's somebody that really doesn't get the message and certainly doesn't get her. Many times, things are simplistic and simple, but the bottom line is it has to start with you.
[Ed Gordon:] And we make them hard.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah, we do. But it really does have to start with you. There's nothing anybody can tell you, anybody can show you if you're not ready or willing or open to listening. Most people get it and get her and get the mission and get the message that she puts out.
[Ed Gordon:] How o...
[Ms. Gayle King:] And men get it, too. No, really, we have a lot of men readers. It's true.
[Ed Gordon:] Oh, no, I believe that. I believe that. You talk about the Oprah brand.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah.
[Ed Gordon:] And I guess the last I saw you was at the Image Awards and Chris Tucker joked about how powerful she is, that she can be on the cover of this magazine every month...
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah.
[Ed Gordon:] ...and people will pick it up...
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah.
[Ed Gordon:] ...simply because of that.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah.
[Ed Gordon:] But are you amazed at the brand and what she has been able to present?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah. We got on an elevator once, and it was so funny, because the people didn't recog-they saw us but didn't recognize her. And so she starts talking to me, because Oprah was behind me, and she said, `You know, I like that magazine, but why you got to put Oprah on every month? Can't you think of anybody else?'This was in the... [unintelligible] and I go, `Well, what would you suggest?'She goes, `I don't know.'And I looked over at Oprah and Oprah's like-like I wanted to say, `You know, there's Oprah,'and she's like-she's shaking her head like, nope, just leave it alone. Because I thought it was comical. So the truth of the matter is this. Whenever Oprah's on anybody else's magazine, it sells like crazy, so why wouldn't we do that for our own magazine? You know, so far, it's working for us.
[Ed Gordon:] Let me ask you this, which I've always found interesting. Best friends-my best friend and I sound the same...
[Ms. Gayle King:] I know.
[Ed Gordon:] ...same cadence, same-you-all sound exactly alike. I'm sure...
[Ms. Gayle King:] I know. I know. People say that.
[Ed Gordon:] ...that you-all talk about it, the mannerisms and all. Do you-all see it?
[Ms. Gayle King:] Well, I see it when people point it out to me. You know, when I'm with my sisters, they'll go-or when they're watching "Oprah," they go, `God, she sounds Gayle,'or they'll say, `You sound like Oprah.'And sometimes we'll be talking, I'll be watching her on TV, going, `Hey, she stole my line. I said that.'But, you know, I think the truth of the matter is when you are good friends with somebody, you do tend to play off of each other unconsciously and pick up each other's mannerisms. You know, we are so like-minded, Ed, really from the very beginning in terms of how we think, what we like, what we dislike, our life philosophies, how we see people, and I think when I met her, it was the first time in a long time that I thought, God, I met somebody who feels the way I do. And we sort of clicked from the very beginning. You know, we were 21 and 22, and now we're 50 and 51. So I knew her before she was Oprah Winfrey. So it does sometimes take me aback, I have to say, that she has become this-you know, somebody used the word the other day, `empire,'and I thought, gosh, you know, when they started ticking off all the things that you do, I called her and said, `You know, you are sounding very empirelike,'and so that does sometimes take me aback. It's true.
[Ed Gordon:] How difficult has it been for you to have to change as a person based on just your simple friendship with this woman?
[Ms. Gayle King:] But, you know, I don't think I've had to change as a person. I really don't. I don't. Do you think I've changed?
[Ed Gordon:] I don't think you've changed necessarily, but I think just your juxtaposition to her affords you all that comes with her, good and bad, and so you just, by virtue of that, have become a celeb with the idea...
[Ms. Gayle King:] By the association, yeah.
[Ed Gordon:] ...by the association, but with the idea that also, you can become tabloid fodder just as she could-all of those things. I mean, you take the good with the bad, and I'm curious how you've had to deal with that?
[Ms. Gayle King:] That is true. You know, I didn't think of it that way, because...
[Ed Gordon:] See, that's why I'm here.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Yeah, I didn't-yeah, thank you so much, Dr. Gordon. No, I never thought of it that way, but I think, you know, certainly with the association, you know, I never see-people say to me, `Oh, it must be so hard being her best friend.'But honest to God, it's a kick. It really is.
[Ed Gordon:] Yeah. No, I would think...
[Ms. Gayle King:] It's a kick. I say this often.
[Ed Gordon:] ...that the positives certainly outweigh the negatives.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Oh, honey, please. I'm not living in her shadow. I live in her light and I'm her biggest supporter, biggest cheerleader and just so happy for all that she's accomplished, really.
[Ed Gordon:] Thank you so much for being with you.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Thank you.
[Ed Gordon:] Appreciate it.
[Ms. Gayle King:] Good to see you.
[Ed Gordon:] Gayle King, editor at large of O Magazine.