Blue Origin backlash and why celebrities are stepping forward to condemn 11-minute space flight
17 April 2025, 11:42 | Updated: 17 April 2025, 12:04
What are people saying about Katy Perry and Gayle King's Blue Origin space trip? Why has it caused so much backlash? Here are all the a-listers and stars having their say on Jeff Bezos's latest stunt.
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The Blue Origin space tourism company was making headlines all over the world this week when they sent six famous women, including Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez, into space for an 11-minute trip.
What was thought to be a history-making event, has actually caused some huge feminist and capitalism debates with many celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde and even Amy Schumer, using their social media platforms to condemn the space mission.
The launch from Texas, which also had Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sanchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn on board, has caused some pretty strong opinions from some of the most-well known stars in Hollywood with many calling it "disgusting" and "gluttonous".
READ MORE: How much is it to fly on the Blue Origin space tourism rocket?
Here's all the backlash that's come from the Blue Origin flight including what celebrities have said against and in defence of the trip.
What have celebrities said about Blue Origin?
Emily Ratajkowski
Perhaps one of the most vocal celebrities on the space mission, Emily has used her social media platforms to say how against the trip she was.
The model and actress said: "That space mission this morning? That's end time s**t. Like, this is beyond parody. You say 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? And then to try to make it like... I'm disgusted, literally I'm disgusted.”
Olivia Munn
Actress Olivia spoke up about the space mission before it went ahead as she aired her thoughts on how worthwhile she thought it was. Talking on Today, she said: "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. Space exploration is to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
Amy Schumer
Popular actress Amy also mocked the flight on Instagram, using her humour to express how she really felt about the space mission.
Sharing a sarcastic video, she said: "Guys, last second they added me to space and I’m going to space,” the comedian joked while holding up a Black Panther toy. “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 and I’ll see you guys in space."
Olivia Wilde
The actress didn't have much to say about the all-women space flight but the memes she used on Instagram spoke a thousand words.
Sharing a picture of Katy Perry floating with a daisy in space (a nod to her daughter of the same name) and then another of her kissing the floor once it had landed, the text read: "Getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin."
Olivia also shared another meme that read: "Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess."
Jessica Alba
With the opposite opinion, Jessica Alba has spoke up in defence of the women and their trip above Earth and said everyone's voices are being misdirected.
She said on Instagram stories: "I've seen endless criticisms of 5 women doing their space thing, I can't see how it affects our lives.
"I wish people would show same energy & focus that anger towards fearlessly denouncing Trump's abuses of power, which do affect countless lives in the US and the world."
Gayle King
As one of the six on board the rocket into space, Gayle has spoken up about her disappointment to the backlash of the launch. In an interview with Extra, she said: "I think it’s good that we can really address it … because I was one of those people before I went on this flight and before I became educated. ‘Why are we spending so much money on space when there’s so much to do on Earth?’ I was one of those people.”
She said she was able to change her mind once she looked into what "Blue Origin does" and what their "intention" is. She claimed they're figuring out a way "to harness the waste here and put it in space to make the Earth a better place".
Gayle also argued the trip was worthwhile because "every time a flight goes up, they get some type of information that can be used for something else".
Katherine Ryan
Not holding back her words, comedian Kathryn Ryan also took to TikTok to express how she believes the Blue Origin mission was actually feminism.
She captioned it: "I've come full circle on the #blueorigin news. Let those women be wasteful like many rich and powerful men have been doing for years. #feminism."
