Halle Berry: Being Cheated on Left a Scar for Life

Halle Berry (Instagram @halleberry)

Halle Berry supports Gayle King's decision, a journalist and host of the CBS Mornings morning show who spoke openly about her ex-husband's affair. According to Berry, experiences like this need to be talked about because many women have experienced it.

According to a report by HuffPost, quoted on Saturday, May 30, Berry expressed his views on NBC's Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, which aired on Thursday.

"I think we should definitely talk about it," the X-Men star said. "I'm proud of King for saying it and sharing it, because it happens to a lot of us."

King previously told the podcast Call Her Daddy about the end of her marriage to William Bumpus. The CBS reporter admitted that she had once come home from a trip and found Bumpus with one of her female friends, who was also married.

"You know how people say wives always know? I swear, I don't," King told host Alex Cooper.

King and Bumpus, who had two children, separated in 1993 after about 11 years of marriage.

For Berry, King's story feels close. He was once married to musician Eric Benét. The two divorced in 2005 after about four years of marriage. Around the time of the separation, Benét entered a rehabilitation program for sex addiction and later admitted to being unfaithful.

HuffPost noted that Berry had doubted the addiction claim when appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast in 2024.

Berry did not mention Benét's name when speaking on NBC. However, he said he had never "raved in public" when news of his ex-girlfriend's affair surfaced.

"You remember every detail of the whole situation, and it sticks with you forever," Berry said.

According to Berry, sharing a bitter experience can help recovery.

"When you can share it, somehow it helps the recovery," she said. "It's kind of an emotional release when you can actually share it and other people can say their experiences."

Now Berry is in a relationship with musician Van Hunt. He previously told The Times magazine that he had lived alone and celibate before starting to date Hunt in 2020. Celibacy means choosing not to have sexual relations within a certain period of time.

Meanwhile, Bumpus apologized after King's interview was widely discussed. In a statement to a number of media, he said King was entitled to share the painful experience that changed the direction of their marriage and family almost 40 years ago.

Bumpus also said his relationship with King remains good, more than three decades after they split.