Julia Roberts told Gayle King about the gesture made by Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King for her parents in 1967.
A segment of Julia Roberts’ September interview with Gayle King is going viral for the sweetest reason.
During the interview, which Gayle conducted for A+E Networks and History Channel’s HISTORYTalk, the television journalist asked Roberts, 55, about a story involving her parents’ relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. and the latter’s wife, Coretta Scott King.
“Let’s start with the day you were born — who paid for the hospital bill?” asked Gayle, 67.
“Her research is very good,” Julia said with a smile, before revealing that Martin and Coretta covered the bill.
Today is Julia Roberts birthday! 55 years ago MLK and Coretta Scott King paid for her parents hospital bill after she was born. Can’t stop thinking about this since I read it. Here she is talking about it with @GayleKing https://t.co/5HvpNSUIYb pic.twitter.com/147x6d807W
— Zara Rahim (@ZaraRahim) October 28, 2022
According to the Academy Award-winning actress, her parents, Walter and Betty Roberts, “couldn’t pay for the hospital bill,” and the King family did so in return for a kind gesture the Roberts family had made previously.
“My parents had a theater school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop, and one day Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids,” Julia said.
She continued, “And my mom is like, ‘Sure come on over.’ And so they just all became friends, and they helped us out of a jam.”
Noted Gayle, “Yeah, because in the ’60s, you didn’t have little Black children interacting with little white kids in acting school. And your parents were like, ‘Come on in.’ I think that’s extraordinary, and it sort of lays the groundwork for who you are.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Julia replied.
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Confirming the story, Martin and Coretta’s youngest child, Bernice King, also tweeted the clip and said how “grateful” she was that it was making the rounds.
“Grateful that #JuliaRoberts shared this story with @GayleKing and that so many people have been awed by it,” wrote Bernice, 59, on Sunday.
“I know the story well, but it is moving for me to be reminded of my parents’ generosity and influence. #CorettaScottKing #MLK,” she added.
