Gayle King, Lauren Sanchez hit back at Blue Origin flight backlash

Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News on Apr 15, 2025

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Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez responded Tuesday to their critics following Blue Origin‘s first all-female trip to space on Monday.

The “CBS Mornings” anchor hit back at the recent backlash surrounding the the historic space flight, which also included Katy Perry, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn.

“Anybody that’s criticizing doesn’t really understand what is happening here, King told People. “We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women, from young girls, about what this represents.”

As for Sanchez, who is engaged to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, she says criticism of the trip has her “really fired up.”

“I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle,” Sanchez said. “They love their work and they love the mission and it’s a big deal for them.”

The children’s book author added, “Trust me. Come with me. I’ll show you what this is about, and it’s really eye-opening.”

These comments follow actress Olivia Munn calling the flight “gluttonous” earlier this month.

“I’m just saying this. I know this is probably not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now,” the actress said while co-hosting “Today With Jenna and Friends.” “What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”

“I think it’s a bit gluttonous.”

Munn also noted, “I know this is probably obnoxious, but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.”

Another Hollywood Olivia, Olivia Wilde, shared a similar sentiment in her Instagram stories, writing, “Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess.”

The mission marked the first all-female space flight in 60 years.

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