Gayle King has broken her silence on the ‘uncomfortable’ footage of her boarding a Blue Origin flight that sparked serious concern.
The broadcaster made history yesterday (April 14) by embarking on a space flight alongside singer Katy Perry, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and journalist Lauren Sánchez who is the fiancée of Jeff Bezos.
The 11-minute mission to space and back saw the women become the first all-female crew since 1963.
But ahead of the launch, onlookers became concerned by King’s demeanor as she made her way to the rocket.
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Each member rang a symbolic bell before entering their capsule but while most of the women appeared to be excited, viewers watching on social media claimed that King seemed ‘scared’ and ‘miserable’.
On X, formerly Twitter, one user wrote: “Gayle looks miserable.”
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Another said: “Gayle walking like she already been to the moon and back.”
A third person joked: “Gayle partied too hard last night…”
And a fourth user added: “I'd be scared s***less too! But she did it.”
After safely landing back on Earth, King spoke about the viral moment at a news conference later that same day.
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She said: “At that moment I was so afraid, I just wanted to get into my seat because I just wanted to let the training kick in.
“I just wanted to get inside the capsule and sit down, so the process of walking up there was a little daunting for me.”
King went on to share some bizarre advice she received from a friend ahead of the trip.
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She added: “I got a text from a friend who’s from Germany - so, you know, you have to appreciate the sense of humor - he says, ‘once you get there, you’re going to feel like it’s sex with the gods’.
“Well, [I’ve] never had sex with a god to my knowledge, so thank you for the visual.
“I didn’t think that, but I did think that with all the stuff that you hear about the blackness and the blues — it’s the neon blue [up in space], and it’s still and it’s quiet and you’re all feeling this experience together. I know I will never forget it.”
When talking about how she felt after returning to Earth, King said: “I walked out of there thinking, gosh I can do anything.
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“I’m so proud of us, I really am proud of me because I never in a gazillion years thought I could do this.”