Gayle King defends all-female trip to space

Gayle King responded to the critics following her history-making Blue Origin flight alongside the first all-female crew.

“Space is not an either or, it’s a both and, and because you do something in space doesn’t mean you’re taking anything away from Earth. And what you’re doing in space is trying to make things better here on Earth,” King said during the Tuesday, April 15 broadcast. 

The mission, which included a quick hop to the edge of outer space on Monday, wasn’t just for selfies in zero gravity. 

“What Blue Origin wants to do is take the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space to make our planet cleaner. Jeff Bezos has so many ideas, and the people that are working there are really devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place. That’s number one.”

And in case anyone was still wondering if this was all just a glitzy joyride, King had some words for that too. 

“There was nothing frivolous about what we do,” she said. 

“So, you know, I’m very disappointed and very saddened by it [the criticism]. And I also say this — what it’s doing to inspire other women and young girls? Please don’t ignore that. I’ve had so many women and young girls reach out to me, and men too, by the way. Men too that say, ‘Wow, I never thought I could do that, but I see you doing it at this stage of your life.’”

Earlier this week, she also told People that, “Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.”

The roughly 11-minute Blue Origin mission might’ve been brief, but it packed a punch. Alongside King, the groundbreaking all-women crew included Katy Perry, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics expert Amanda Nguyen, philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. 

The launch, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—who also happens to be Sanchez’s fiancé—was part of a larger mission by Blue Origin to push the boundaries of sustainable space travel.

But while King and crew were soaking up that “view from above,” the internet (and a few celebrities) were less starry-eyed. 

Olivia Munn stirred up chatter earlier this month, calling the mission “a bit gluttonous” on Today with Jenna & Friends. 

“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride?” she said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

Olivia Wilde joined the digital eye-roll, reposting a meme of Perry kissing the ground after landing with the caption, “getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin.” 

Wilde quipped in her Instagram Story, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess.”

Emily Ratajkowski also chimed in with some social media side-eye, specifically calling out Perry’s environmental comments. 

“Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet?” she said in a TikTok video. 

“Look at the state of the world, and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space, and for what?”

Despite the criticism, Gayle King remains firmly grounded—in her belief that the trip had value beyond the atmosphere.