Gayle King’s Shout From the Front Row Sparks a Shockwave Even the Pope Couldn’t Ignore — She Finally Reveals What Happened.QN

When Pope Leo XIV was formally inaugurated on May 18, 2025, the historic event drew global attention — and one front-row shout turned heads. Veteran journalist and TV host Gayle King, seated beside friends Oprah Winfrey and Maria Shriver, revealed to PEOPLE what she yelled as the new pontiff passed their section in the popemobile. The simple cry — “Chicago, Chicago!” — captured just how alive that moment felt for her.

King, 70, admits she and Winfrey are not Catholic like Shriver, yet standing just yards from the new pope filled her with a profound sense of awe. “You really felt something being in his presence,” she said. That single feeling turned an otherwise formal ceremony into something deeply personal — a moment of genuine connection that resonated far beyond religion.

Pope Leo XIV, born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, following a two-day conclave. He succeeds Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 — closing one chapter and opening another in Vatican history. The inauguration at St. Peter’s Square signaled the official beginning of Leo XIV’s papacy.

That morning, as the new pope arrived in the popemobile to the roar of applause and cheers, cameras flashed and faithful watched with reverence. For many in the crowd it was a solemn occasion; for others, like King, it became a front-row spectacle — part celebration, part shock of witnessing history live.

King describes the feeling as more than just attendance — it was presence, energy, emotion. What struck her wasn’t only the grandeur or the ceremony, but the human connection she experienced: the warmth from the crowd, the shifting energy when Leo passed by, the shared sense that something momentous was unfolding.

On social media shortly after, King and Winfrey shared a clip of that moment; the popemobile slows, Pope Leo appears to glance in their direction, and they wave passionately. His gesture in return sparked joy, reverence, and a once-in-a-lifetime memory for the pair.

“It was a privilege,” King said. “We were excited to be there to witness history.”

At first glance, the sight of celebrities like King, Winfrey, and Shriver might invite skeptics to dismiss the event as celebrity-filled fanfare. But King insists it was deeper than that. Despite not sharing Shriver’s faith, she felt — in a completely secular sense — the gravity of the moment. The air felt charged, the crowd felt unified, and for a moment, she said she understood the meaning behind a moment many in the world come together to share.

In a world often divided, the inauguration offered a moment of shared humanity. For King, it was a reminder that rites of passage — even ancient ones — can still carry real emotional weight, even for those outside their spiritual tradition.

A few days later, on May 20, King spoke at the annual Awards Dinner and Auction hosted by the Gordon Parks Foundation. There she recalled with warmth the feeling of that moment — the popemobile, the waves, the energy, the almost surreal joy that came from knowing she was witnessing something historic.

“She turned to me and said, ‘We are like, “Chicago, Chicago!”’” King remembered, laughter and sincerity in her voice. Her retelling painted the inauguration not as a rigid ritual, but as a living, breathing event with real human reactions — fear, excitement, awe, and hope.

The inauguration of a new pope is rarely seen as a moment for Hollywood-adjacent celebrities. But that is precisely why King’s presence — and her reaction — matters. It transforms a formal, centuries-old ceremony into an instant that crosses culture, faith, and background.

Her exclamation shows that at its core, the event wasn’t about politics or procession, but about humanity — recognition, connection, shared breath in a moment of global significance. For King, Winfrey, Shriver, and the millions watching, it wasn’t just the dawn of Pope Leo’s papacy — it was a reminder that history can still stun you, whether you believe or you only witness.

BTV Khanh Huyen