Video: Gayle King Makes Broadway Debut in THE LION KING
King appeared in the opening number alongside Oprah Daily creative director Adam Glassman.
By: Josh Sharpe Jul. 25, 2025
On Thursday, CBS News journalist Gayle King, along with Oprah Daily creative director Adam Glassman, made their Broadway debuts in The Lion King, appearing in the opening number of the hit musical. To chronicle this milestone, CBS Mornings dedicated a segment to their preparation, from practicing the music and lyrics with a vocal coach to learning the official choreography for the show. Watch the footage from rehearsals and the performance here!
Gavin Lee recently joined the company of The Lion King as Scar, beginning performances Tuesday, July 22. Lee replaces former cast member Stephen Carlile, who departed the production earlier this year to star as Hades in Disney’s new production of Hercules in the West End.
In addition to Lee as Scar, The Lion King principal company currently includes Tshidi Manye (Rafiki), L. Steven Taylor (Mufasa), Blakely Slaybaugh (Zazu), Ben Jeffrey (Pumbaa), Fred Berman (Timon), Vincent Jamal Hooper (Simba), Pearl Khwezi (Nala), James Brown-Orleans (Banzai), Bonita J. Hamilton (Shenzi), Robb Sapp (Ed), Leela Chopra (Young Nala at certain performances), Juliana Martinez (Young Nala at certain performances), Jacob Pham (Young Simba at certain performances) and Albert Rhodes (Young Simba at certain performances).
About Gayle King
Gayle King is a co-host of CBS This Morning. An experienced television journalist, King interviews top newsmakers and delivers original reporting to CBS This Morning and all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She is also editor-at-large of the award-winning O, the Oprah Magazine.
King previously hosted The Gayle King Show, a live, weekday television interview program on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The program, which featured a discussion of a broad variety of topics that included politics and cultural developments, was also broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, where it premiered in 2006.
Before that, King worked for 18 years as a television news anchor for CBS affiliate WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn., during which period, she also hosted her own syndicated daytime program. Prior to joining WFSB, King worked at several other television stations, including WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Mo., WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Md., and WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C.
King has received numerous awards for her extensive work as a journalist, including three Emmys. In April 2019, she was selected for the TIME 100, Time Magazine's annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world. She was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2017 she was a Variety Power of Women honoree, and in 2010 she was honored with both the Individual Achievement Award for Host-Entertainment/Information and the New York Women in Communications' Matrix Award recipient. She was honored with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award as part of CBS News' division-wide coverage of the Newtown tragedy. King was honored in 2008 with the American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Award for Outstanding Radio Talk Show.
About The Lion King
Approaching 30 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King has made theatrical history with two productions worldwide running 20 or more years and three others running 25 or more years.
Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), there are currently nine productions of The Lion King around the world: Broadway, Toronto, London, Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, Tokyo, Mexico City and on tour across North America. The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica; its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
Director, Costume Designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, remains actively involved in the show, launching new productions and maintaining the flagship Broadway production.
The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers.
Elton John, Lebo M and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.
The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Lisa Dawn Cave (production supervisor), Thomas Schlenk (general manager) and ARC / Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
