King made the revelation Tuesday on “CBS Mornings” while explaining Winfrey’s absence from the news program, saying the former daytime TV queen needed medical attention due to a bad stomach virus.
“Yesterday she said, ‘I’m going to rally, I’m going to rally.’ She had some kind of stomach thing where — stomach flu where stuff was coming out of both ends. I won’t get too graphic,” King said.
“But needless to say, she ended up in the hospital. Dehydration, she had an IV, so it was a very serious thing,” King said. “She will be OK. She will be OK. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail, but I wanted to make it clear that it mattered to her and it bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today.”
King stepped in for Winfrey to announce David Wroblewski‘s prequel novel “Familiaris” as Winfrey’s latest book club selection. She mimicked her pal’s famously dramatic announcement voice and read a statement from Winfrey, who hailed the book as an “extraordinary journey that brilliantly interweaves history, philosophy, adventure and mysticism to explore the meaning of love, friendship and living your life’s true purpose.”
King then interviewed the bestselling author, a second-time entrant into the book club, on the show.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed to The Times on Tuesday that the 70-year-old is on the mend.
“Ms. Winfrey is recovering following a stomach virus and received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor,” the spokesperson said via email. “She is resting and feeling better every day.”
The spokesperson did not say how long Winfrey was in the hospital, nor what brought on the illness.
Winfrey has since returned home following treatment for the illness, which has “no relation to weight loss medications” she recently revealed she was taking, The Times confirmed with a person close to Winfrey who was not authorized to speak publicly.
In December, Winfrey told People magazine that she had been using an unspecified weight-loss drug in tandem with lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight, a journey she has long been vocal about in the media.
“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift,” she said. “I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yo-ing.”
Although she didn’t disclose what drug she was using, months later she revealed that she had stepped down from her long-held post as a WeightWatchers board member. The decision, she said, was prompted by her work on a TV special about the rise of injectable prescription weight-loss drugs.