Gayle King Advises Tamron Hall Not to Donate Her Work Clothes: 'I Suspect We'll See Her Back on the Air'

CBS This Morning's Gayle King shares why she's optimistic about pal Tamron Hall's next move after Today

When Tamron Hall revealed on Instagram that she was donating a ton of items from her coveted wardrobe last week — just one day after the shocking news that she’d decided to leave the Today show on the heels of learning Megyn Kelly would be taking over her and Al Roker‘s 9 a.m. time slot in the fall — fans were begging to know where they could score her stylish second-hand duds.

But the anchor’s pal Gayle King is hoping she pumped the brakes on her closet purge, and for good reason. “I heard she was giving her work clothes away, but I would advise her not to do that,” the CBS This Morning host tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “One, [her clothes] are gorgeous and two, I suspect we will see her back on the air sooner rather than later.”

Source: Tamron Hall Instagram

Though Hall has yet to announce what her next move will be, no one is doubting she’ll land firmly on her feet. Amid speculation about where she’ll go (Live with Kelly has been a rumored possibility) one media source tells PEOPLE that CNN head Jeffrey Zucker is “making a major play” for Hall to join the network.

Allison Michael Orenstein

As for what she’s bringing to the table, “She’s fly, she’s beautiful and so whip-smart,” says TV producer and pal Mara Brock Akil, who based the hit BET series Being Mary Jane on Hall’s life as a career-driven TV anchor. “But it’s her authenticity that comes across immediately.”

• For more on Tamron Hall’s shocking departure and what she’ll do next, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands this Friday

When it comes to Hall’s departure from Today, “She drew a line,” says Brock Akil of Hall walking away from her dream job after what she considered to be a demotion. “She said you can’t treat me like this. I’m happy to stand in support with her.” (A source with knowledge of the situation counters that the move was not a demotion: “She was not demoted. Tamron was offered a new multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to stay at the Today show and MSNBC and she turned it down.”)

Says King, “I was very sorry to hear the news that Tamron Hall will no longer be at NBC. She is great at what she does and I look forward to her next chapter. She knows I am cheering her on always.”

• With reporting by MARY GREEN, LIZ McNEIL and CHARLOTTE TRIGGS