Gayle King Celebrates 12 Years at “CBS Mornings,” Once Again in Yellow Dress She Wore on First Day

"It's just a reminder how blessed and how grateful I am that we get to do this every morning," King said on Tuesday

Gayle King was once again back in her signature yellow dress on CBS Mornings Tuesday, this time to mark her 12-year anniversary as co-anchor of the morning news program.

As longtime viewers know, the broadcast journalist wore the color block sleeveless frock for her very first episode on Jan. 9, 2012. In the years since, she has donned the same dress every Jan. 9 to celebrate the special occasion.

"I knew I wanted to wear yellow on my first day because it's my favorite color," King, 69, recalled on Tuesday. "And I said, 'I'm going to wait and see if I'm still here and then I'm going to wear it again.' 12 years later, here we are! Still psyched to be sitting here."

Related: Gayle King Celebrates Thanksgiving with Her Niece in Their Annual Swimsuit Photo Shoot

She was showered with yellow cupcakes ("My favorite thing, I like anything with icing!") and love from her fellow co-host, including Tony Dokoupil, Nate Burleson and Vladimir Duthiers.

"I thought it was 11 years, but [senior producer Shawna Thomas] told me I've been here 12 years," King joked. "Still happy to be here, too."

King was also surprised with a video package with best wishes from a slew of her former interview subjects, including Serena Williams, Billy Crystal, Barbra Streisand, Robert De Niro, Ed Sheeran, Sebastian Maniscalco and Charles and Cassie Kelly.

"When we start our day off with you, we know it's starting off right," said Angela Bassett.

Related: Gayle King Says She's 'Not Even Thinking' About Retiring at Age 68: 'I'm Looking for More Work'

Oprah Winfrey, King's longtime best friend and a frequent guest on CBS Mornings, was a part of the clip compilation, too.

"From the moment you said yes to doing CBS Mornings, I knew that it would be you meeting the rising of your life, because nobody loves news and culture more than you do," said Oprah, filming her remarks on the drive to Sunday's Golden Globes (which King also attended). "And I remember that phone call you got the night before. And I knew then that spectacular things were ahead."

"You have met the rising, and still you rise," Oprah gushed. "Congratulations, my friend."

Afterwards, King recalled how she was initially hesitant about taking the job at CBS Mornings, her reluctance colored by the troubles Winfrey's network, OWN, was experiencing.

"I wasn't sure because at the time I was working at OWN and OWN was going through a thing and I thought if I left they would say, 'Oh, even her best friend is abandoning ship,' " King remembered. "And I didn't want that headline. I didn't. I did not want that headline."

Oprah encouraged her close pal, though. "She said, 'If they offer it to you, you should take it,' " King shared.

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The day and the support she received, King also noted on Tuesday's show, is "just a reminder how blessed and how grateful I am that we get to do this every morning."

"I do think it's one of the best jobs in TV," she said, with her co-anchors noting, "We're the blessed ones."

CBS Mornings airs weekdays on CBS (beginning at 7 a.m. ET).

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