Gayle King Slammed As ‘Tone Deaf’ After Announcing Her Space Flight With Blue Origin: ‘You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself’
March 2, 2025 by Julia DeKorte
Gayle King just announced that she would be one of the six women aboard the all-female Blue Origin space flight this spring, and she’s facing some backlash from fans. Joining pop star Katy Perry, Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sánchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn, the six women are set to spend 11 minutes in space.
While seemingly a cool experience, King, along with Perry and the other women, is facing a lot of backlash, with fans calling them “tone deaf” and “out of touch.” Keep reading for more information.
Gayle King Announces Space Flight
Taking to her Instagram account, where she boasts over a million followers, she shared a joint post with CBS mornings: a video announcing her plans to go to space this spring. "Our very own @gayleking is going where few have gone before," the caption reads. "Aboard a historic @blueorigin flight into space."
King explained that when they first approached her about the space flight, she immediately refused before having a change of heart. "I'm so afraid, but I'm also so excited about it," she said on CBS Mornings. "When they asked me, and they asked me around Thanksgiving, I was like, 'no, no, no.' Then I started thinking about it. And I just thought what a unique opportunity."
Fans Slam Gayle King
In the comment section, fans were not afraid to share their thoughts on the situation. "I was sad to see Gayle and these other women agree to participate in this Bezo publicity stunt," one person wrote. "Just think what this amount of money this publicity stuff is gonna cost what it would do to help the mountains in North Carolina or to the neighborhoods destroyed by the California wildfires. Tone deaf ladies read the country."
"Grotesque," agreed another. "Unbelievable tone deafness."
"I have loved so much about Gayle but really? another posted. "This feels so gross and out of touch."
"Shame on you Gayle King," shared a fourth. "What a MAJOR disappointment. I am shocked."
"You should be ashamed of yourself," a final fan said. "So disappointing."