Key Takeaways
- Gayle King laughed off being labeled the World Cup Final’s “worst-dressed” and defended her all-white tank top and designer cargo pants on CBS Mornings, noting her son even ironed them.
- She said she didn’t realize the World Cup had become a fashion show, backed by co-host Norah O’Donnell’s on-air compliment about her look.
- King stood in solidarity with fellow “worst-dressed” picks Kylie Jenner, Blake Lively, and Winnie Harlow, calling the whole thing hilarious and pointing out they’ve all made best-dressed lists before, as Spain beat Argentina 1–0 in the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium.
Gayle King did not attend the World Cup Final expecting to defend her pants on national television. But after one publication crowned her the event’s worst-dressed celebrity, the CBS Mornings anchor fired back—while laughing off the entire fashion controversy.
According to Page Six, King wore an all-white look to Sunday’s Spain-Argentina showdown at MetLife Stadium: a fitted Boston Proper tank top and loose Alice + Olivia cargo pants. Critics branded the outfit “boring and dowdy,” calling the pants wrinkled and the overall look “frumpy.”
King came prepared with receipts on Tuesday, July 21. “Not only was I on this list, they said I led this list wearing a ‘frumpy white outfit,’” she said on CBS Mornings.
King clarified that the alleged “wrinkled white sweatpants” were designer cargo pants—and revealed that her son, William Bumpus Jr., had personally ironed them.
“He said the pockets were a little dicey because he doesn’t know how to iron,” King joked.
The 71-year-old broadcaster appeared more entertained than offended by the critique. “I didn’t realize, Norah, that the World Cup had become such a fashion show,” she told Norah O’Donnell, who quickly offered her own verdict: “I thought you looked very good in that tank top, Gayle.”
King also refused to let the fashion police’s other targets take stray shots alone. Kylie Jenner made the worst-dressed list for a black outfit deemed “underwhelming,” while Blake Lively was accused of having too much going on. Model Winnie Harlow was labeled “overboard”—but somehow also landed on a best-dressed list.
“I think all these women look so great, and since they’ve made best-dressed lists in the past, I think I’m in very good company,” King said. “But I just think this was hilarious.”
The fashion debate emerged from one of the year’s biggest sporting events. Dozens of A-listers packed MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19 to watch Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 in extra time.
For the tournament, the venue was temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium. The match closed out the expanded 2026 World Cup, staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
