Oprah Winfrey’s Tearful Reaction to Bestie Gayle King’s Space Adventure

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Oprah Winfrey couldn’t be more proud of Gayle King. 

During the launch of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight from Texas, the CBS Mornings host took off along with Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and three others. As they left Earth’s atmosphere, a longtime friend of hers reacted emotionally to the takeoff.

Watching the group of women astronauts embark on their space journey, Oprah, along with Gayle’s children Kirby Bumpus and Will Bumpus (who were all wearing yellow in solidarity with her “sunshine” friend), found themselves on the verge of tears. At 71 years old, she emotionally touched her face and removed her sunglasses as she watched Blue Origin launch, choosing to conceal her tearful eyes from the camera.

Absolutely, I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride when my close friend embarked on their journey to space, as I shared this incredible moment with them via a live stream. It’s truly a remarkable achievement that I’m honored to be part of the experience.

Oprah expressed deep admiration, stating, ‘I’ve never been prouder of my friend.’ This achievement transcends merely going to space. Whenever they’re flying, she’ll often comfort someone during even the slightest turbulence.

In her words, “This feels like scaling a wall of apprehension, breaking through a boundary. I believe it will prove incredibly therapeutic in numerous aspects.

Oprah Winfrey additionally shared reasons for motivating her friend to undertake the space voyage, a venture that also involved former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

Oprah put it this way: “To me, life is all about constantly evolving into your highest potential and fully embracing who you are.” She believes that this is one of the most complete ways to express yourself.

In her own words, the actress from The Color Purple also confessed that she wouldn’t have wanted to listen to Gayle’s distress had she not seized the chance.

Oprah emphasized her conviction that she would feel remorseful if she didn’t go, and she didn’t want to spend the next 15 years listening to regrets about missed opportunities. She stated that there was only one chance for all women to make their initial ascent, as there would be other journeys, but this first time was unique.

Evidently, Gayle listened to her friend. Keep reading for more on the monumental space trip… 

Established in 2000 by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin is a private space corporation based in Kent, Washington. As stated on their website, the company aims to utilize space resources for Earth’s benefit and expand human presence in space through enhanced transportation and creation of inhabitable destinations in low Earth orbit.

Blue Origin plans to achieve these objectives by developing reusable rockets and engines to lower the cost of space travel, making it more affordable for civilians while promoting sustainability. During a 2016 Pathfinder Awards talk, Bezos expressed their vision: “We aim to have millions of people living and working in space.” The focus is on significantly reducing the cost of space travel by emphasizing reusability.

While Blue Origin doesn’t publish its prices on their website, they do require a $150,000 deposit for booking a seat on one of their flights.

Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, who made history as the first American to travel to space in 1961, Blue Origin refers to New Shepard as a “completely reusable, suborbital rocket system designed for manned flights.”

New Shepard’s pressurized crew capsule can accommodate six individuals. However, unlike traditional spacecraft, there is no pilot seat, as the vehicle operates autonomously – without human intervention.

The first launch of New Shepard took place in 2015 as part of a test program consisting of 16 successful flights, which were concluded in 2021. In July of that year, during its first human flight, Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark joined an auction winner who paid $28 million for their seat. Later that year, William Shatner and Michael Strahan also embarked on separate missions aboard the vehicle.

The upcoming voyage will be New Shepard’s 31st mission (hence the name NS-31) and its 11th human flight.

The New Shepard mission (NS-31) by Blue Origin plans to take off from Launch Site One, situated within the Guadalupe Mountain range in the West Texas desert, on April 14th. According to their website, the launch window commences at 8:30 a.m. CDT.

According to Blue Origin’s website, the astronauts on New Shepard journeys rocket upward at over three times the speed of sound. They surpass the Kármán line, which is the universally accepted boundary of space located approximately 62 miles (or 100 kilometers) above Earth. Once they’ve crossed this boundary, they can unfasten their seatbelts to experience weightlessness and marvel at our planet. The trip concludes with a soft landing back on Earth, aided by parachutes. It’s mentioned that the entire journey should take approximately 11 minutes.

 

The team for mission NS-31 comprises singer Katy Perry, CBS Mornings host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, STEMBoard founder Aisha Bowe (formerly a NASA rocket scientist), bioastronautics research scientist and activist Amanda Nguyen, and former TV anchor Lauren Sánchez. Interestingly, this is the first all-female spaceflight crew since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union embarked on a solo mission and became the first woman to travel to space.

Nguyen will make history as the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space, while Bowe will be the first person of Bahamian heritage to venture where few have gone before.

Every team member joins this mission with their personal motivations.

In a recent feature for ELLE, several of the women shared their ambition to inspire upcoming generations. For Perry, this involves instilling in her daughter Daisy, whom she shares with fiancé Orlando Bloom, the idea that there are no boundaries to one’s dreams. She hopes to demonstrate that anyone, regardless of their background, ethnicity, financial status, education level, or any other factor, can achieve their dreams.

King, who has been open about her anxieties, told the magazine that she aims to prompt people to venture beyond their comfort zones.

“Once I do it,” she added, “it will pave the way for countless others who were hesitant but are now eager to join in.”

Nguyen expressed that for her, this opportunity serves as a chance to realize a long-deferred dream.

“I worked at NASA, I studied astronomy—astrophysics at Harvard and MIT—but life intervened,” she told the publication. “Gender-based violence is a major reason why many women in STEM fields abandon their careers, and I was one of those women. After I was sexually assaulted, I swapped my telescope for advocating for the rights of sexual assault survivors. I drafted the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which was passed in Congress and the United Nations. And after a decade, I said to myself, ‘I want to honor the person I was before I was hurt.’

As reported by Good Morning America, every team member is scheduled to travel to the launch site ahead of the mission, where they’ll participate in training programs. These sessions will cover a variety of topics such as getting properly fitted for their flight suits, learning about the capsule, mastering communication with ground control, and reviewing safety procedures.

While some team members followed a specific training routine prior to the mission, Bowe ramped up his preparations in recent times. He shared with ELLE before the launch, “I’ve been preparing for this, in one way or another, for the past year, but I’ve recently increased the intensity. I just completed a NASTAR simulation, which gave me a taste of what I might encounter during the flight. The physical preparation is crucial for me; I want my body to be familiar with ascension. We have a fighter jet flight scheduled, and I’m quite excited about it.” Similarly, Flynn mentioned that she took part in several zero-gravity simulation flights. “They modify a Boeing 747 and fly the plane in a parabolic pattern,” she explained. “This causes everyone to float when the plane descends. This was to help me get accustomed to weightlessness. I believe I’ll enjoy that aspect when we’re up there. Additionally, I underwent NASTAR training in Philadelphia and experienced pressures as high as five Gs.

Here are a few individuals preparing for their missions:

1. Nancy Conrad is taking along an Apollo 12 flag that was given to her by Pete Conrad’s wife, who walked on the moon as the third man. This historical artifact will accompany her.

2. Bowe has chosen to bring plant samples from Winston-Salem State University’s Astrobotany Lab and dehydrated conch chowder for the mission as a tribute to The Bahamas.

3. King is planning to take some photos, while Sánchez will be carrying a stuffed animal of Flynn, her character from the book “The Fly Who Flew to Space.”

4. Nguyen intends to pack personal items that hold deep meaning for her. These include shells from an island where her mother is a refugee and a note she wrote to herself promising never to give up after overcoming an assault. Additionally, she will bring the pen used by former president Barack Obama to sign the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Act, a coin from the Nguyen dynasty, and Freetown cotton tree seeds.

Famous personalities like Tom Hanks, Megan Rapinoe, Bill Nye, Drew Barrymore, and others have sent uplifting messages to the crew. Specifically, Charlie’s Angels actress shared her well-wishes and excitement for a post-mission conversation. On the other hand, Olivia Munn has expressed skepticism about the mission, questioning its purpose and cost, particularly in light of global issues like affordability and hunger. She also raised concerns about the mission being perceived as an advertisement for Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin. However, Wally Funk, who understands these criticisms, emphasizes that this mission transcends individual interests and companies, arguing that it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game where one action negates another.

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2025-04-14 18:20