Last updated: September 16, 2026
William Bumpus is an American attorney who is widely known as the former husband of broadcaster Gayle King. However, his public story goes beyond that relationship. His full professional name is William G. Bumpus, and he has spent many years working in law, government service, higher education, and family-related legal practice.
Bumpus earned a marketing degree from Central Connecticut State University in 1984 before completing his law degree at Yale Law School in 1988. Over the years, he has worked as a prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General, university administrator, professor, and private-practice attorney.
Interest in William Bumpus increased again in 2026 after Gayle King discussed their marriage during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Bumpus later made a public statement about their past, bringing new attention to both his personal life and professional background.
Quick Facts About William Bumpus
| Fact | Detail |
| Full name | William G. Bumpus |
| Profession | Attorney; former Connecticut prosecutor and Assistant Attorney General; former university administrator and professor |
| Known for | Legal career and former marriage to Gayle King |
| Education | Central Connecticut State University, B.S. in Marketing, 1984; Yale Law School, J.D., 1988 |
| Former wife | Gayle King |
| Marriage | 1982–1993 |
| Children with Gayle King | Kirby Bumpus and William Bumpus Jr. |
| Other publicly acknowledged child | Poet Willow Bumpus |
| Current professional connection | Levine Litigation LLC, Connecticut |
| Main practice areas | Family law, child protection, collaborative divorce, guardianship, and mediation |
| Exact date of birth | Not reliably confirmed in the strongest sources reviewed |
Who Is William Bumpus?
William G. Bumpus is a Connecticut attorney with decades of experience in public service and family-related law. Most entertainment articles introduce him as Gayle King’s former husband, but that description leaves out much of his professional life.
Connecticut government records show that Bumpus served as an Assistant State’s Attorney from 1990 to 1993. He later moved into academic and administrative work at Central Connecticut State University. By 1997, he was working as an Assistant Attorney General in Connecticut’s Child Protection Unit, while also continuing his connection with higher education.
His legal work has included cases involving children, families, abuse and neglect matters, guardianship, mediation, and other areas of family law.
William Bumpus Early Life and Education
Reliable public information about William Bumpus’s childhood and early family background is limited. Several biography websites publish an exact birth year, birthday, birthplace, and age, but those details are not consistently supported by stronger primary or professional records.
There is also conflicting information about his age in online coverage. For example, some biography pages give an April 1954 birth date, while other reporting lists ages that do not match that date. Because of those differences, this biography does not treat his exact birth date or birthplace as confirmed fact.
His educational background is much clearer.
Bumpus earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University in 1984. His professional biography also states that he graduated magna cum laude. He later attended Yale Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1988.
His connection to Central Connecticut State University did not end after graduation. He later returned to the university in academic and administrative roles. Historical university and Connecticut state records show that he held leadership positions within the School of Business during the 1990s. A 1996 state ethics opinion identified him as an associate dean and associate professor at CCSU.
William Bumpus Career: From Prosecutor to Family Law Attorney
William Bumpus has built a varied legal career that includes prosecution, state government, education, and private practice.
According to Connecticut ethics records, Bumpus served as an Assistant State’s Attorney from 1990 to 1993. This was one of the early major stages of his legal career.
From 1993 to 1997, he worked in academic and administrative positions at Central Connecticut State University. His work there included teaching as well as leadership responsibilities.
In 1997, Bumpus joined the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General. He worked in the Child Protection Unit, where he represented the state in cases involving child abuse and neglect. Connecticut appellate decisions from the late 1990s also list him as counsel for the state in child-protection matters.
His later career moved more strongly toward private family-law practice. The Connecticut Bar Association lists his areas of work as including child and juvenile law, family law, collaborative divorce, guardianship, mediation, administrative law, pardons, and workers’ compensation.
This broader career history is important because many online biographies focus almost entirely on his marriage to Gayle King and give very little attention to his decades of legal work.
Where Does William Bumpus Work in 2026?
There is some outdated information online about William Bumpus’s current law-firm connection.
Several entertainment and biography websites still describe him as being connected with Wolf & Shore Law Group. However, more direct and recent professional sources point to Levine Litigation LLC.
The Connecticut Bar Association currently lists Bumpus with Levine Litigation in Brookfield, Connecticut. A filing submitted to the Connecticut General Assembly in February 2025 also identified William Bumpus as a partner at Levine Litigation. The firm’s own professional biography describes him as a senior partner.
For that reason, Levine Litigation is the better-supported professional affiliation for a 2026 biography.
There is one detail that needs some explanation. People reported that Bumpus wrote in a 2021 Instagram post that he had recently retired. However, later professional records continue to connect him with active legal practice.
The most careful conclusion is that his use of the word “retired” may not have meant a permanent end to all legal work, or that he later returned to professional practice. The public records do not fully explain that timeline.
William Bumpus and Gayle King
William Bumpus married television journalist and broadcaster Gayle King in 1982.
The couple had two children together. Their daughter, Kirby Bumpus, was born in 1986, while their son, William Bumpus Jr., was born in 1987.
Their marriage eventually ended in divorce in 1993.
The most widely discussed part of their relationship involves Bumpus’s infidelity. King has publicly said that in 1990 she returned home unexpectedly and found Bumpus with a woman whom she considered a close friend.
The couple tried counseling and remained married for some time after the incident, but their relationship eventually ended.
Bumpus publicly addressed the situation in 2016 after King referred to the affair in a Vanity Fair questionnaire. In his response, he accepted responsibility for what happened and also praised King for the way she handled their family relationship after the marriage ended.
He specifically acknowledged her efforts to protect his relationship with their children despite the problems between them.
What Happened With William Bumpus in 2026?
William Bumpus returned to entertainment headlines in May 2026 after Gayle King discussed their marriage during an appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast.
During the conversation, King again spoke about the affair and the effect it had on their marriage. Her comments led Bumpus to issue another rare public statement about their past.
In a statement reported by TMZ, Bumpus once again accepted responsibility for his actions and apologized to King and their family. He also said that King had every right to speak about that period of their lives.
King later responded positively to the apology. She told TMZ that she appreciated what he said and made it clear that both of them had moved forward from the events of their marriage.
Their public comments in 2026 also suggested that they had managed to maintain a cooperative family relationship long after their divorce. People similarly reported that Bumpus had previously described King as an excellent co-parent.
William Bumpus’s Children and Family Life
William Bumpus and Gayle King share two adult children, Kirby Bumpus and William Bumpus Jr.
People also reported in 2026 that Bumpus has publicly acknowledged another daughter named Poet Willow Bumpus. In his May 2026 statement, he also referred to having three grandchildren.
Compared with Gayle King, Bumpus has kept much more of his personal life away from the public eye.
There is no strong public confirmation that he remarried after his divorce from King. Some websites make definite claims about his later romantic life, but stronger and more recent sources do not clearly confirm his current marital status.
For that reason, it is more accurate to say that his relationship status after the divorce remains publicly unclear.
Why William Bumpus Is More Than Gayle King’s Ex-Husband
Most people searching for William Bumpus first come across stories about Gayle King, their marriage, and the affair that contributed to their divorce. However, government, university, court, and professional records show that he also built a long career of his own.
Bumpus has worked as a prosecutor, university administrator, professor, Assistant Attorney General, and private-practice attorney. A large part of his legal work has focused on children, families, and related legal matters.
That background gives a more complete picture of his life than the celebrity-focused coverage usually provides.
As of 2026, the strongest public record presents William Bumpus as a longtime Connecticut attorney who became widely known because of his former marriage to one of America’s most recognizable broadcasters, but who also developed a substantial professional career outside that relationship.
How This Was Researched
I researched this William Bumpus biography using Connecticut government ethics records, Connecticut Bar Association information, Levine Litigation’s professional biography, court records, and recent reporting from People, TMZ, Us Weekly, and other publications.
I also reviewed several biography pages that currently rank for William Bumpus to see where information was unclear, outdated, or weakly sourced. The biggest gaps involved conflicting birth details and older law-firm information being presented as current. Where reliable sources did not clearly confirm a detail, I left it unconfirmed instead of guessing.
FAQ About William Bumpus
What does William Bumpus do for a living?
William Bumpus is an attorney. Current professional records connect him with Levine Litigation LLC in Connecticut. His areas of legal work include family law, child protection, collaborative divorce, guardianship, mediation, and related matters.
Was William Bumpus an Assistant Attorney General?
Yes. Connecticut ethics records state that Bumpus joined the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office in 1997. He worked in the Child Protection Unit and represented the Department of Children and Families in abuse and neglect matters.
Did William Bumpus go to Yale?
Yes. William Bumpus earned his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1988. Before that, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Marketing at Central Connecticut State University in 1984.
How long were William Bumpus and Gayle King married?
William Bumpus and Gayle King married in 1982 and divorced in 1993. Their marriage lasted for about 11 years.
How many children does William Bumpus have?
He has two children with Gayle King, Kirby Bumpus and William Bumpus Jr. People also reported that he has publicly acknowledged another daughter, Poet Willow Bumpus.
Is William Bumpus remarried?
No reliable public source reviewed for this biography clearly confirms that William Bumpus remarried after his divorce from Gayle King. His current marital status remains publicly unconfirmed.
What is William Bumpus’s age?
His exact age is not treated as confirmed in this article. Online biography pages provide conflicting information about his birth date, while stronger professional and government records focus mainly on his education and legal career.
Where is William Bumpus now?
Professional records continue to connect William Bumpus with Connecticut’s legal community. The Connecticut Bar Association and Levine Litigation identify him with Levine Litigation LLC.
Accuracy Note
This biography is based on publicly available information, including government records, professional profiles, court materials, and verified news coverage. Some personal details about William Bumpus, especially his exact birth information and current marital status, are not consistently verified, so those details are clearly presented as unconfirmed.
Written and researched by Muhammad Huzaifa, contributor at Globe News Report.
