'Leave Nature Alone': Gayle King Slammed For Kissing Wild Stingrays in 'Good Luck Ritual' — as CBS Co-host Faces Intense Troubles with Network
Gayle King has been hit with backlash over a video of her kissing stingrays on vacation.
Jan. 21 2026, Updated 7:02 p.m. ET
Gayle King has been slammed by animal rights activists after she shared a video of herself kissing stingrays for "good luck" while on vacation, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Outraged social media users blasted the CBS Mornings host and demanded she "leave nature alone."
King Shares Vacation Snaps
King shared a video of her kissing stingrays while on vacation.
On Tuesday, January 20, King took to Instagram to share vacation snaps from her trip to the Grand Cayman, where she visited the tourist hotspot Stingray City.
"Rumor has it that you get good luck for seven years if you kiss a stingray—so I kissed that sucker twice!" King captioned her Instagram video post. "Hope this really works."
In the video, King could be heard asking the guide, "What's the rumor if you kiss a stingray?" as their boat rocked back and forth in the crystal blue water.
"With or without tongue?" the guide jokingly asked, to which King answered, "Without tongue, definitely."
King said she kissed the stingray twice for good luck.
"Without tongue, it's seven years of good luck," the guide replied.
King could be heard noting, "When else are you going to get to do it," as she urged her sister, Lynn, to join her in the water.
The video cut to King and her sister, in matching yellow bathing suits, wading in the water as stingrays swam around their group.
Another shot captured King and Lynn kissing a stingray and later holding one up to the water's surface with shocked expressions plastered across their faces.
Backlash Erupts Over King Kissing Stingrays
Instagram users told King stingrays are 'not here for your entertainment.'
While most of King's followers found her post amusing, critics made their disapproval known in the comment section.
"Why are you doing that? Good God, leave nature alone! They're not here for your entertainment!" declared one outraged Instagram user.
The comment prompted another user to reply in support, "Thank you for being the voice of reason amongst all these suck-ups."
"Gross …. Leave them alone," wrote another as they claimed "kissing" stingrays "upsets the natural bacteria on their skin."
"Imagine the germs and viruses WE are spreading into their world!" barked one user. "Get the H--L over yourselves."
PETA warned touching and kissing stingray can endanger both the animal and humans.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has spoken out against the practice of humans petting and kissing stingrays, particularly those kept at aquariums.
In addition to warning about inhumane practices associated with animals in captivity, the animal welfare advocacy group also highlighted dangers associated with stingray tourist traps.
"Stingrays' barb tissue is commonly clipped every few months when the animals are used in touch tanks, which places them at risk for stress, infection, and greater injury. This practice also leads people to underestimate the risk involved in approaching stingrays in the sea who haven't been mutilated," a statement from PETA read.
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King's Future at CBS
Backlash against King comes as CBS suffers a ratings drop under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
King's vacation comes as CBS News suffers intense backlash under the direction of newly tapped editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the hiring of "anti-woke" Weiss sparked the exits of network veterans Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson.
Many suspected King would also be on the chopping block, though insiders recently claimed the CBS Mornings host worked out a new deal which would significantly lower her salary while cutting back her work hours.
