While she didn’t quite jump on a couch, watching Gayle King‘s reaction to her surprise birthday party may make you leap on yours with joy.
Oprah Winfrey organized a star-studded early celebration for her longtime BFF, who will turn 70 Dec. 28. In a video shared on the pair’s Instagram pages Dec. 14, the CBS Mornings cohost is seen walking into a busy restaurant with the TV mogul and be greeted by a gathering of a large number of their friends shouting, “Surprise!”
Gayle then staggers backwards in shock, tosses her purse on a nearby table and puts her hands on her chest.
“My bestie of 50 years is turning 70 so we gathered everyone that loved her to celebrate,” Oprah captioned the post. “Hard thing to surprise her, O the stories we have made up, the lies we have told to keep this a secret. Happy birthday @gayleking, sorry we almost gave you a heart attack.”
Gayle later explained how the stunt was pulled off. “Talk about a surprise !!!” she wrote on her Instagram page. “I thought I was going to @oprah’s holiday dinner for the @oprahdaily team at her favorite restaurant @cisiamonyc and then THIS happened ….”