Gayle King grapples with loss of friend Cheslie Kryst: ‘I’m so gutted by the news’
‘CBS Mornings’ co-anchor Gayle King opens up about utter devastation over Cheslie Kryst’s untimely death by suicide.
By Geneva Waters // Death // EEW Magazine Online
Whether you knew Cheslie Kryst or not, her story of dying by suicide at 30 while seemingly being so full of joy and life hits hard.
But those like CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, who regarded the now deceased Extra correspondent as a friend, are especially devastated and confused by the loss.
In a deeply personal and emotional piece written for the Oprah Daily website, King, 67, shares, “I first met Cheslie Kryst in May 2019, when the newly crowned Miss USA came on CBS This Morning to talk about how—for the first time in history—Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America were all Black women.”
The stunning Cheslie Kryst takes her final walk as Miss USA in 2020 (Credit: Miss USA)
King continues, “There was something so special about that sparkle of a girl, so as soon as the segment was over, I approached her in the greenroom and asked for her phone number. I simply wanted to stay in touch with her.”
And stay in touch they did.
The two became close, bonding over virtual conversations on Zoom and then over lunch as recently as December.
Credit: Cheslie Kryst
“We’d talk about her job, dating, and everything else going on in her life. I wanted to help her however I could, whether that was answering any questions she might have or giving her advice on a whole range of topics,” explains King.
Everything seemed to be going well with Kryst which is what made the news about the young lawyer and beauty queen leaping to her death from her New York City apartment building unfathomable.
“I thought I had read it wrong,” says Kings of the gut-wrenching report. “I even googled it because I thought there must have been some mistake.”
But it was real—albeit a seeming nightmare—that reinforces an important lesson.
“Cheslie’s death is a jarring reminder that you never really know what’s going on in people’s lives. In all the time we spent together, there wasn’t anything that made me think she could be in trouble or that she was struggling,” King says. “That’s part of the reason I’m so gutted by the news—and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.”
King, who admits that she and others that knew and loved Kryst are still “walking around in shock,” has a bit of advice to pass along first given to her by her CBS Mornings co-anchor Nate Burleson: “Check on your strong friends. Don’t assume.”
If you are considering self-harm, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741-741, the Crisis Text Line.