Gayle King has responded to the ongoing backlash against the Blue Origin NS-31 space flight.
Earlier this week, King joined Blue Origin's first all-female crew for an 11-minute trip to space. However, the flight has received a lot of criticism from celebrities online who questioned the intention, especially with Jeff Bezos funding the mission.
Gayle King Reacts to the Blue Origin Flight Backlash
In a recent interview, King responded to the backlash against the Blue Origin NS-31 space flight and defended her participation.
"I think it’s good that we can really address it 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," she said.
The famed journalist said that she changed her mind when she learned about Blue Origin's intention and the value of the space flight mission.
"[They want] to figure out a way to harness the waste here and put it in space to make the Earth a better place," King noted.
She explained that they "use space technology all the time" with GPS and satellites, and that "every time a flight goes up, they get some type of information that can be used for something else."
King added, "So I wish people would do more due diligence. And then my question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing.'"
Blue Origin NS-31 Flight Receives Backlash from Celebrities
A lot of celebrities online have criticized the Blue Origin NS-31 flight as they questioned the intention behind the mission and its performative use of feminism in promoting the flight.
Model Emily Ratajkowski slammed the flight on her TikTok post and called out its hypocrisy due to the Jeff Bezos connection.
"That space mission this morning, that’s end-time shit. Like, this is beyond parody. 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.
"Look at the state of the world, and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space, and for what? For what, what was the marketing there? And then to try to make it like... I’m disgusted. Literally, I’m disgusted."
Celebrities such as Olivia Munn, Amy Schumer, and Olivia Wilde have also either criticized or poked fun at the Blue Origin flight on social media.
Fast food giant Wendy's also threw shade at Katy Perry's involvement in the Blue Origin flight in their X account.
What do you think of King's remarks? Let us know in the comments!
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