Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez are clapping back at critics of their space mission!
The celebs, alongside Katy Perry, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn, made history on Monday with their 11-minute launch into space via the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin rocket.
It will definitely go down as a major moment in history — for some a positive one, and for others… not so much.
Related: People Are Loving How This Former Disney Star Is Now CEO Of A Space Startup!
During last week’s episode of Today With Jenna & Friends, Olivia Munn slammed the “gluttonous” stunt:
“What are they doing? I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now. 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.”
She further reflected:
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous. Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
And it seemed she started a domino-effect, because several other celebs have spoken out against the joyride since. Emily Ratajkowski criticized it in a TikTok on Monday, saying:
“That space mission this morning? … This is beyond parody. Saying that you care about mother Earth and it’s about mother Earth and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet… Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space for what? … I’m disgusted, literally.”
@emrata
Damn!
Others, however, took a more satirical approach to their criticisms. On Monday morning, Amy Schumer sarcastically said in an Instagram video:
“Guys, last second they added me to space and I’m going to space.”
While holding a Black Panther toy, she continued:
“I’m bringing this thing. It has no meaning to me, but it was in my bag and I was on the Subway, and I got the text and they were like, ‘Do you want to go to space?’ so I’m going to space. Thank you to everyone who got me here. I’ll see you guys in space.”
Ha!
Olivia Wilde also jumped into the mix, sharing a meme of Katy Perry touching back down on Earth and kissing the ground after the short-lived space flight. The caption read:
“getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin”
But her comment? Dragging the entire endeavor for basically ONLY giving folks joke opportunities:
“Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess”
LOLz!
Everyone is entitled to feel however they want about a bunch of celebs blasting off into space in a rocket built on a billionaire’s dime… But two of the passengers are NOT happy about the negativity.
In response to some of the criticism, Gayle told People:
“Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here. We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women from young girls about what this represents.”
There is something to be said for young women seeing an all-female crew literally reaching for the stars! But, you know… there is a pretty big difference between this and actual achievements of women in STEM. We mean, no one thinks Katy Perry is showing any of those rocket scientists how it’s done, right? This isn’t stopping all the firing of actual women in this field because they’re being considered merely “DEI hires” now, right? Just sayin’.
Lauren — whose fiancé financially supports the administration firing all the women and scientists — excitedly added:
“I get 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. They love their work and they love the mission and it’s a big deal for them. So when we hear comments like that, I just say, ‘Trust me. Come with me. I’ll show you what this is about, and it’s, it’s really eye-opening.”
The question is, what are YOUR thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound off in the comments down below!
[Images via The Launch Pad, NBC, CBS/YouTube, Emily Ratajkowski/TikTok, & Amy Schumer/Instagram]
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