Gayle King announced that she’s going to space. The daytime talk show host shared the news on CBS Mornings.
King revealed her participation in Blue Origin’s 31st flight, NS-31. Before discussing the mission’s details, she and her co-hosts presented a video montage chronicling her longtime fascination with space travel.
In one clip, King said, “I get excited watching a launch at home in my pajamas.”
Her enthusiasm led to an invitation from Blue Origin. The TV personality will lift off with an all-female crew, including Emmy Award-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez, Grammy Award-winning singer Katy Perry, and astronaut Aisha Bowe.
The soon-to-be space explorer admitted she was initially hesitant.
“I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,” King said.
To make her decision, King turned to a group of loved ones, including her children and close friend, Oprah Winfrey. She said once her most trusted confidants approved, she was ready.
“Once Kirby and Will and Oprah were fine with it, I was fine,” King said. “I thought Oprah would say no. She said, ‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right.”
King will not be the first television host to trek into space with Blue Origin. In 2021, then-Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan took part in Blue Origin’s third civilian flight. The former NFL star and broadcaster was overjoyed upon his return, expressing how the experience gave him a new “perspective” on the world.
“I want to go back,” Strahan said.
Blue Origin, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2000, is a private aerospace company focused on making space travel accessible to civilians and developing technologies for long-term space exploration.
King’s upcoming flight on New Shepard will be part of Blue Origin’s continued efforts to normalize civilian space travel.
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