Gayle King Reveals Best Pal Oprah Winfrey Convinced Her to Join Upcoming Space Flight Despite Having Serious Jitters
Gayle King has a serious case of the jitters ahead of her Blue Origin space flight this spring.
The 70-year-old will be joined by Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, pop star Katy Perry, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and activist Amanda Nguyen, marking the first time an all-woman crew has ventured to the Kármán line where space and Earth’s atmosphere meet.
The expedition is part of Blue Origin’s New Shepard program. Company founder Bezos has already taken the leap beyond the skies, as have as 52 other individuals across 10 successful launches. Unsurprisingly, King has some major reservations about the upcoming trip.
“I have to tell you I am so afraid. I am. I’m so afraid, but I’m also so excited about it,” she told her “CBS Mornings” co-hosts on Feb. 27. The veteran journalist revealed that she was asked to join the voyage around Thanksgiving after publicly expressing her disinterest since 2021. Even then, she continued to turn down the offer.
Only after discussing the opportunity with her adult children, daughter Kirby and son William, and best friend Oprah Winfrey, did she have a change of mind. Her meeting with the crew and hearing their anecdotes about going to space cemented her decision.
“All these people, this has been their dream. This has never been my dream…Somebody said, ‘Well, maybe you need to have new dreams, Gayle,’” she said. King even compared the maelstrom of emotions she has been experiencing to giving birth.
Gayle let me get this dress before you go to the king. I mean go up in that space thing 🫣 https://t.co/Gri6Wc0DvO
— EB 🫶🏾 (@ebknowing) March 4, 2025
Social media users expressed a great deal of trepidation in response to King’s admissions. “They can’t even bring back the 2 astronauts who are currently lost in space….” wrote one person, alluding to Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck on the International Space Station since their eight-day mission in June 2024.
Like several other comments shared on The Neighborhood Talk’s platform, one read, “She sounds terrified as if they are making her do this….Are we watching a cry for help…this weird.”
A third person said, “If I were Oprah’s bff living comfortably, no other source of money or clout would EVA make me this curious about the unknown mystery’s in space… Hit a lil herbal essence and fly to your own plant!!!”
To her surprise, the Emmy winner did not see Winfrey try to dissuade her from participating in the expedition. “She said, ‘No, I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ And she’s right,” King confessed.
On the Oscars red carpet, King told “Entertainment Tonight” that the “Fireworks” singer is her “emotional support human” for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Despite her nerves, the journalist reassured her colleagues that she feels well-prepared. “I’ve worried everybody about this, and now I’m actually very excited and really looking forward to it.” The exact date of the 62-mile journey has not been announced.
