Gayle King Looks Nearly Unrecognizable Makeup-Free

"CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King usually starts her day by going for a whirl in the makeup chair before facing the unforgiving cameras of her nationally syndicated morning show. That said, King has also gone makeup-free before, and unsurprisingly, she looks completely different when not wearing makeup (as most do). First, though, speaking of King, Oprah Winfrey's best friend and go-to glam expert, she's become known for rocking bold red lips and a subtle dusting of blush and/or bronzer. Her signature look pairs well with her gorgeous wardrobe, which includes wrap dresses, business-casual suits, and other daytime frocks she flaunts at her high-profile morning gig.

Fortunately, King's jobs help her avoid the hassle of doing her own makeup by providing her with a glam team. The Oprah Daily account on Instagram, where King also serves as the editor-at-large, even showed fans her daily routine. "People say 'What's your beauty routine?'" said King in the December 2023 clip. "My beauty routine is Rae Dawn," she continued, referring to her makeup artist. She then tossed the mic to Dawn, who walked viewers through the host's individualized beauty process. "Alright, so I just do Revive — what I love about it is I put it on the forehead because it gives a beautiful glow, so when the camera hits her, and the light hits her, it gives off this radiance ..." added Dawn, who used the product to prime her face before the makeup application.

But enough about King's beauty secrets — here's what she looks like with no makeup.

Proving that she's always up for an adventure, Gayle King, along with Valerie Bertinelli and Gillian Anderson, appeared on "The Drew Barrymore Show" to participate in a makeup-free segment. King looked considerably different without the poreless, airbrushed makeup she usually wears on camera. Instead, the 69-year-old journalist looked more understated as she flaunted her glowing smile and wrinkle-free skin in a group selfie backstage. "@gayleking did something she never thought she'd do: Appear on TV without any makeup on!" read the caption from the Oprah Daily Instagram account. "Today @thedrewbarrymoreshow hosted a makeup-free episode where everyone—from the guests to the audience members to @drewbarrymore herself—showed up with their natural glow ... Everyone looks BEAUTIFUL." We couldn't agree more!

Despite being a good sport, King almost cheated a little by wearing a pair of fake lashes. "It's funny cause I went into Gillian's room and said, 'Are you going to leave on your lashes?' Cause I'm trying to decide 'Can I leave on my lashes?'" she admitted during the episode. However, King followed Anderson's lead and decided to show up completely makeup-free. "Because, listen, I don't have hang-ups about taking pictures of myself without makeup, but it is different when you're on national TV; It is very different when you post it on your Instagram," she continued. King also spoke about viewers not recognizing her or thinking she's in disguise when she goes out without makeup. "No, this is my face. This is my natural beauty," she said, adding, "Just for someone to say, 'Are you in disguise" is an indication of how drastically I look without makeup."