CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King has responded to the public backlash over her 11-minute Blue Origin Flight earlier this week.
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During the Tuesday episode of CBS Mornings, King shared her thoughts about the criticism and backlash.
“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.”
She then stated, “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 King went up into space with Blue Origin’s first all-female crew. The morning show co-host went up with Katy Perry and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.
According to The New York Times, Blue Origin allows anyone to reserve a spot on their shuttles, with most putting down a “fully refundable deposit” of $150,000. In 2021, the organization auctioned its first seat for $28 million.
Gayle King Said She Used to Be One of the People Who Criticized Blue Origin Flights
While speaking to Extra, Gayle King said she used to criticize the Blue Origin flights.
“I think it’s good that we can really address it,” she said. “Because I was one of those people before I went on this flight and before I became educated. ‘Why are we spending so much money on space when there’s so much to do on Earth?’ I was one of those people.”
Gayle King further shared that she changed her mind after looking into Blue Origin’s work and intentions. She noted that the organization wants 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 it’s your satellite,” she pointed out. “Every time a flight goes up, they get some type of information.”
Gayle King also stated that the 11-minute Blue Origin flight was more than just the all-female crew going up into outer space. “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,” she revealed. “Every time one of those goes up, you get some information that can be used for something else.”
King further advised others to do more due diligence before criticizing Blue Origin.