Oprah Winfrey surprises Gayle King with Tyler Perry

Oprah Winfrey has surprised her best gal pal by inviting Tyler Perry over for her birthday dinner.

"@gayleking's actual birthday was yesterday 28 December and @tylerperry surprised her for dinner. I'm done with surprises for her after this! Promise," the talk show queen captioned a social media post.

King's 70th birthday celebrations had continued this weekend with a dinner for family and friends.

"Someone came to see you," Winfrey announced, prompting a shocked King to shout and clutch her chest in shock.

Actor and filmmaker Perry playfully scolded Winfrey, telling her she needed to "stop scaring" her friend before he pulled King in for a warm hug.

Perry was referring to a recent event when Winfrey had to apologise to her bestie for nearly giving her a "heart attack" after throwing her a surprise early birthday party in New York.

King and Winfrey have been friends since meeting in the 1970s. The women were both employed at Baltimore's WJZ radio station where Winfrey was an anchor and Gayle a production assistant.

"Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own," Oprah said in a past issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

"Whatever this friendship is, it's been a very fun ride, and we've taken it together."