Could You Let Your Colleagues Know All Black People Do Not Look Alike?

Gayle King recently called out Fox News host Jesse Watters for confusing her with fellow African-American journalist Robin Roberts. The mix-up occurred during a live broadcast of Fox News’ The Five, where Watters mistakenly attributed Robin Roberts’ interview with Jussie Smollett to King. In response, King sent an email to Watters’ co-host, Dana Perino, expressing her frustration over the common misconception that all Black people look alike.

King discussed the incident during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She explained that while she doesn’t typically watch Fox News, her friends alerted her to Watters’ gaffe. In the segment, Watters attempted to both praise King and criticize her by referring to Roberts’ interview with Smollett, which aired on ABC before Smollett was arrested for allegedly staging a hate crime.

“Hats off to Gayle King for totally redeeming herself after the Smollett fiasco,” Watters said, wrongly crediting her for Roberts’ work. Perino quickly corrected him, pointing out that the Smollett interview was actually conducted by Roberts, not King. Realizing his mistake, Watters buried his face in his hands and later held up a whiteboard on-air that read: I’m sorry Gayle + Robin.

King took the incident in stride but didn’t let it pass without comment. She sent Perino an email, thanking her for the correction and adding, “Could you let the rest of your colleagues know all Black people do not look alike?” She shared the details of this email on The Late Show, emphasizing the importance of addressing such careless mistakes.

Perino responded to King’s email with a friendly message, saying it was “nice to meet her.” King appreciated Perino’s professionalism and expressed her hope to meet her in person one day. However, she was less forgiving toward Watters, commenting on his casual attitude: “The guy just said like, ‘Robin Roberts, Gayle King.’ I just thought, ‘OK dude, all right. It’s OK.’”

The mix-up highlights an ongoing issue in the media industry and beyond—Black individuals, particularly public figures, being mistaken for one another despite having distinct appearances and careers. King’s response was a measured yet firm reminder that such errors are not trivial and reinforce harmful stereotypes.

King also took the opportunity on The Late Show to discuss her now-famous interview with R. Kelly, which earned her widespread praise for her composure under pressure. She recounted how she first met Kelly at his Chicago Trump Tower apartment, where he was dressed in sweatpants and preparing for the interview. Her goal was to make him feel comfortable, setting the stage for an open conversation.

During the interview, Kelly became highly emotional, standing up and raising his voice in frustration. King revealed that she remained calm because she feared he might walk out. “I really thought, we’ve seen him storm out of interviews before, and I thought he was going to do that,” she explained. Her composure kept the interview on track, allowing it to air in full.

King’s handling of both the Fox News incident and the Kelly interview demonstrates her professionalism and resilience in the face of difficult situations. By calling attention to racial insensitivity and handling high-pressure interviews with grace, she continues to set a high standard in journalism.

‘Could you let your colleagues know all black people do not look alike?’: Gayle King reveals the email she sent Fox host Dana Perino after Jesse Watters confused her with Robin Roberts

Gayle King clapped back at Fox News host Jesse Watters for mistaking her for fellow African-American journalist Robin Roberts, saying in an email to Watters’ co-host Dana Perino: ‘Could you let the rest of your colleagues know all black people do not look alike?’

King revealed her email on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday night after Watters’ gaff.

He was co-hosting The Five with Perino on Thursday when he mistakenly tried to both insult King and compliment her for her interview with R. Kelly.

‘Hats off to Gayle King for totally redeeming herself after the Smollett fiasco,’ he said, referencing Robin Roberts’ ABC interview with Jussie Smollett before he was arrested for allegedly staging a hoax attack and reporting it to the police.

Scroll down for video 

Gayle King revealed on Thursday night that she emailed Fox News host Dana Perino (right) to say thank you for correcting Jesse Watters when he confused her with Robin Roberts

Perino nervously interjected: ‘That was not Gayle King. Robin Roberts did the Smollett interview.’

Watters put his head in one hand and said: ‘I knew that.’ Later in the show, he held up a whiteboard apologizing to both King and Roberts.

During her appearance on Colbert, King said she did not watch the show but that friends told her about Watters’ mistake.

‘I normally don’t watch Fox News so I was sent this.  I emailed Dana, who I don’t know, and said: “Hi, just wanted to thank you for letting your colleague know that Robin Roberts and I, it was a great compliment, but thank you for letting him know we’re two different people and could you let the rest of your colleagues know that all black people do not look alike.”

‘Yes I did, I said that to her,’ King said.

Fox News host Jesse Watters was trying to praise Gayle King for her R. Kelly interview this week – but mistook her for Robin Roberts instead

Watters later held up a whiteboard on the show that read: ‘I’m sorry Gayle + Robin’ (pictured)

Perino replied to her email by saying it was ‘nice to meet her’, she revealed.

‘We had a little joke about it and I hope to meet her one day because that was very nice of her to do,’ King said.

Referring to Watters, she said: ‘The guy just said like, “Robin Roberts, Gayle King.” I just though, “OK dude, all right. It’s OK.”

She also revealed that before she and Kelly sat down in front of the CBS camera crew, she went to his apartment in Trump Tower Chicago to meet him.

Roberts’ interview with Smollett aired just two days before he was arrested for allegedly filing a false police report. She called it one of the ‘most challenging’ interviews she’s ever done

King has received high praise for keeping her cool while interviewing Kelly for CBS Morning this week as he lashed out over her questions

He was dressed in sweatpants and told her that he was going to change into a suit.

King said she wanted to put him at ease.

She also explained why she kept her cool when Kelly erupted in front of her, saying that she did not him to storm out of the interview.

‘When I see Robert getting really upset and he stands up and he gets really upset, my initial reaction is “please God please don’t leave, please don’t leave.”

‘Because I really thought, we’ve seen him storm out of interviews before and I thought he was going to do that. And I thought, “What can I do to save this interview?”

‘So I sat there quietly, made eye contact with him. I thought, the minute I walk up there and say “calm down”, it’ll make it even worse.’

Her full interview with Kelly will be shown on CBS on Friday at 8pm EST.