4 days Ago By Chiara Fiorillo
Gayle King has said she feels "very disappointed and very saddened" by the criticism of the Blue Origin flight that took her and five other women to space on Monday. The 70-year-old TV personality spoke out after a number of celebrities including Olivia Wilde, Kesha and Emily Ratajkowski slammed Jeff Bezos' company, questioning whether the mission was necessary. Speaking on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, Gayle said, "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.
Robin Roberts addresses week-long ‘GMA’ absence after fans accuse her of ‘playing hooky’ Saving Private Ryan's most iconic scene was improvised but many fans found it distasteful "And what you're doing in space is trying to make things better here on Earth. 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." She continued, "There was nothing frivolous about what we do. 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.
'" Gayle previously told People that "anybody that’s criticizing it doesn't really understand what is happening here." DON'T MISS..
. Katy Perry's Blue Origin mission mocked by fast-food chain and pop rival Kesha Olivia Wilde slams all-female Blue Origin crew as flight faces public backlash Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner turn down Blue Origin flight amid safety worries The CBS News journalist also spoke about the criticism on Extra, saying it's important to address it, as she admitted, "I really do love it, because I was one of those people before I went on this flight and before I became educated on space. 'Why are we spending so much money in space when there’s so much to do here on Earth?' "But when I look at what Blue Origin does, what their intention is to figure out a way to harness the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space, to make the planet Earth a better place, and we use space technology all the time.
"Whether it's your GPS, whether its your satellite, that doesn't just happen. Every time a flight goes up, they get some type of information." She then said, "Two of the astronauts - I still have a hard time calling myself an astronaut - but two of the astronauts on board, one is a rocket scientist, one is an astrophysicist-activist, were actually doing experiments.
"But every time one of those goes up, you get some information that can be used for something else." Gayle continued saying that while space flights are currently expensive, they may become cheaper in the future "if you get enough people who are interested." She also blasted those who described the mission as "a ride" while noting, " ou never see a man, a male astronaut who's going up in space, and they say, 'Oh, he took a ride.
' We actually duplicated the route that Alan Shepard did...
"No one said, 'He took that ride.' It's always referred to as a flight or a journey, so I feel that's a little disrespectful to what the mission was and the work that Blue Origin does." But despite the criticism, Gayle said she wouldn't "let people steal my joy and steal the joy of what we did or what we accomplished that day.
" Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Blue Origin founder Jeff, also shared her thoughts after Monday's flight and said she gets "really fired up" when people criticize the mission. She said, "I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don't just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle. "They love their work and they love the mission and it's a big deal for them.
" She added, "So when we hear comments like that, I just say, 'Trust me. Come with me. I'll show you what this is about, and it's, it's really eye-opening.
" Criticizing Blue Origin, Olivia Wilde posted a meme on her Instagram Stories featuring two photographs of Katy Perry as she exited the capsule upon returning to Earth. One showed the singer holding up a Daisy, which she took with her into space as a tribute to her daughter Daisy Dove Bloom, whom she shares with Orlando Bloom. The other snap showed the performer kissing the ground after stepping down a few steps after returning to Earth.
On top of the two photos was a text that read, "getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin." Wilde shared the meme with the message, "Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess." Emily Ratajkowski said in a video she shared on TikTok, "That space mission this morning? That's end time ----.
Like, this is beyond parody. "That you care about Mother Earth and it's about Mother Earth, and you're going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that's singlehandedly destroying the planet?" She then encouraged her followers to "look at the state of the world" and "think about how many resources went into putting these women into space" before asking, "For what? What was the marketing there?" Emily concluded by saying she felt "disgusted" by the mission. On its website, under the section "Protecting our Planet," Blue Origin boasts that their New Shepard's engine combustion only results in water vapor, claiming there are zero carbon emissions.
The mission was also mocked by fast-food chain Wendy's, which made their stance on the mission public with a tweet targeting Katy. The official page for the fast-food place commented on a photo of the singer in her space suit, shared by Pop Crave, which had the caption, "Katy Perry has returned from space." Wendy's responded with a comment that read, "Can we send her back.
" The Wendy's account went on to repost photos of Katy kissing the ground after landing back on Earth, writing, "I kissed the ground and I liked it," referencing Perry's song I Kissed a Girl. Kesha then posted a snap of herself enjoying a Wendy's shake and smiling. That wasn't the end of the fast-food chain's mocking of the historic 11-minute expedition.
After one account pointed out that Perry was only in space for 10 minutes, Wendy’s wrote back, "Don't short change her it was 11 minutes." Katy shared her profound feelings upon returning to Earth, expressing how the journey made her feel "connected to love." She kissed the ground and disclosed that she took a daisy into space, an experience that deepened her appreciation for motherhood.
"This experience is second to being a mum...
and that's why it was hard for me to go, because that's all my love right there," she reflected, acknowledging her daughter Daisy's presence and her initial hesitation due to the thought of leaving her. Katy emphasized the importance of trust and courage, "And I have to surrender and trust that the universe is going to take care of me and protect me and also my family and my daughter because I am full up from being able to get that gift of being a mum and to go to space is incredible and I wanted to model courage and worthiness and fearlessness." She had previously announced that the trip was dedicated to Daisy, aiming to inspire her and other young girls to see science as "glam" and to pursue their dreams with bravery.
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