Gayle King reveals the surprising next mission of all-female Blue Origin space flight crew after controversy

Daily Mail​

26-04-2025

Gayle King has revealed the next mission for the all-female Blue Origin crew - and it isn't another trip to space.
The high-profile crew - Lauren Sanchez, Kerianne Flynn, Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and King herself - will be swapping space suits for concert attire as they take their newfound friendship to the front row of one of Perry's shows.
King, 70, who has been vocal about her excitement over the crew's April 14 journey, shared the fun twist during a recent interview, revealing that the group will be attending Perry's concert together as their 'next mission.'
'We were on a text chain today saying, we need to all go to Katy's concert. Which city can we go and when? That's our next group activity,' King told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The celebrated TV host, who was honored at the 19th annual TIME100 Gala that night, reflected on their brief journey to space, describing the one-in-a-lifetime experience as 'unforgettable.'
'It was Katy, and it was Lauren, it was names you know,' King said.
'But to me, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, Carrie Anne Flynn, these women who were rocket scientists… astrophysicists... filmmakers and all their backstories, that to me was such a bonding experience for all of us. We'll never forget it.'
The star-studded TIME100 Gala, hosted at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, also celebrated Snoop Dogg, Serena Williams, Scarlett Johansson and other influential figures.
When asked which celebrity she'd like to see fly to space next, King responded by defending Blue Origin's broader mission.
'The beauty of what they're trying to do there is to make it more accessible, to encourage people,' she said.
'Just think about this… when they built the plane years ago, nobody thought that we would be getting on a 747 these days and thinking nothing about it. Nothing.'
While the flight was hailed as a landmark moment for women in STEM, it has drawn harsh criticism, with some questioning the commercial motives behind the 11-minute voyage.
But, King and her crewmates are instead focusing on the joy and camaraderie the experience created.
'The goal, I know, is to one day [make sure] that everybody can experience it, who wants to, and I don't think that's such a far-fetched idea,' she added.
Though Blue Origin hasn't disclosed the full cost per passenger, a hefty deposit of $150,000 is required.
King's surprise revelation comes just the CBS Mornings host was caught defending best friend Oprah Winfrey's reaction during the divisive space trip after the talk show host was accused by skeptics of 'fake crying.'
During the launch, cameras caught Oprah, 71, removing her sunglasses and getting emotional as her friend took off in a rocket, which prompted an outpouring of doubts that the tears were insincere.
But now, King has explained what really happened.
Speaking at the TIME100 Gala on Thursday night, Gayle said of her pal: 'She was so welled up. I know she said at one point [that] she was proud of me.
'When people saw her crying, people said, "Oh, she's so worried. She thinks something's gonna happen."'
But King explained to E! News: 'That wasn't it at all. She was crying because she knew what it took for me to do that, and so when I came [back] she was saying, "I'm so proud of you. You did that and I'm so proud of you."'
At the launch site, Oprah told reporters that the trip was monumental for King due to her fear of flying.
'I've never been more proud. This is bigger than just going to space for [King]. Any time we're on a flight she's in someone's lap if there's the slightest bit of turbulence,' Oprah shared.
'She has real, real, real anxiety flying. This is overcome a wall of fear, a barrier, I think it's gonna be cathartic for her.'
King, however, hit back at critics during an interview with People, in which she said she feels that anyone 'criticizing it doesn't really understand what is happening here.'
'We can all speak to the response we're getting from young women from young girls about what this represents,' the the journalist said, in defense of their short-lived trip to space.
Since the controversial flight, singer Perry has also become an international laughing stock and severely damaged her reputation with her zero-gravity antics.
She posed for the camera with an excruciatingly earnest expression while in space, brandishing a daisy in honor of her daughter and plugging the set list for her upcoming tour.
Perry then tossed her hair melodramatically as she got back off the spacecraft before kissing the ground.
Perry then tossed her hair melodramatically as she got back off the spacecraft before kissing the ground.
She waxed poetic about feeling 'super connected to love' after her post-flight photo-op, while thanking a reporter who referred to as 'an astronaut' rather than a passenger.
'It's not about singing my songs,' the American Idol judge said.
'It's about a collective energy in there. It's about us. It's about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging.'
Her comments spurred almost immediate backlash, leading an insider close to Perry to tell DailyMail.com she now regrets how she handled the trip.
'Katy doesn't regret going to space,' the source said, adding how the star now regrets 'kissing the ground' after the flight as well as her 'close-up camera moments' inside the capsule
'It was life changing,' they went on, reiterating Katy's past, polarizing comments.