Gayle King Complains It’s_‘Disrespectful,’ Sexist To Call 8-Minute Space Ride ‘A_Ride’

CBS News host Gayle King took issue with those who referred to her eight
minutes in space � with an all-female, celebrity-heavy �crew� � as �a ride,�
arguing that it was sexist and �disrespectful� to do so.

King responded to critics in an interview with Extra after her Blue Origin
space flight � alongside performer Katy Perry and Blue Origin owner Jeff
Bezos� fianc�e Lauren Sanchez, among others � returned to earth, also hitting
back at those who complained about the expense of such a �frivolous� trip.

WATCH:

Gayle King responds to criticism of her Blue Origin space flight,
says people calling it "a ride" is "disrespectful." Full interview
??: https://t.co/VIwjEycANG pic.twitter.com/c1Bn6Jntaq

� ExtraTV (@extratv) April 15, 2025

�I think it�s good that we can really address it,� King said. �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 on space when there�s so much to
do on Earth?� I was one of those people.�

King said that part of what had changed her mind was learning that Blue
Origin intended �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.�

�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,'� King continued,
arguing that if there were more demand for commercial space flights, the cost
of such a flight would eventually come down.

King went on to complain about the underlying sexist tone of those referring
to the eight-minute space flight as �a ride,� saying, �You never see a man, a
male astronaut, who�s going up in space and they say, �Oh, he took a 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.�

The Daily Wire�s Matt Walsh hit back at King, mocking her for referring to
herself as �an astronaut� and saying, �Gayle King thinks she�s an astronaut
because she took a 10 minute ride on her friend�s boyfriend�s rocket ship.�

Gayle King thinks she�s an astronaut because she took a 10 minute
ride on her friend�s boyfriend�s rocket ship

pic.twitter.com/cmEDkvIei0

� Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 16, 2025

�Astronauts were stranded in space for 9 months. When they were rescued, they
just said thank you and went back to work,� conservative pundit Stephen L.
Miller pointed out.

Astronauts were stranded in space for 9 months. When they were
rescued, they just said thank you and went back to work.
https://t.co/B6JhoSRDwC

� Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) April 15, 2025

Katy Perry was also mocked for overblowing the importance of the trip. �Katy
Perry out here acting like she was just stranded in space by Joe Biden for
nearly a year,� one commented after video circulated of the pop star kissing
the ground.

Katy Perry out here acting like she was just stranded in space by
Joe Biden for nearly a year

pic.twitter.com/28DAPJhjCN

� Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) April 14, 2025