TV

Oprah Winfrey sobs watching best friend Gayle King conquer fears on Blue Origin spaceflight

Published

on

Oprah Winfrey got emotional over her best friend Gayle King’s Blue Origin spaceflight Monday morning.

The former talk show host was filmed breaking down in tears when the rocket took off with King, Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry and the rest of the NS-31 crew inside.

Winfrey, 71, explained during the livestream that she has “never been more proud” of her pal after nearly 50 years of friendship.

“Because this is bigger than going to space for her,” Winfrey noted, adding that whenever King, 70, is on an airplane, she ends up “in somebody’s lap if there’s the slightest bit of turbulence.”

The media mogul gushed that the spaceflight would be “cathartic in so many ways” for King as she overcame “a wall of fear, a barrier.”

The “CBS Mornings” host, notably, kissed the ground upon landing and said it was “nice to be back on the ground.”

Winfrey, who wore yellow as a tribute to King, wanted her friend to go to space so she wouldn’t “regret” the missed opportunity later on.

She said, “I think life is about continuing to grow into the best of yourself and the fullest expression of yourself. And … I didn’t want to hear about it for the next 50 years, ‘I wish I had gone.’”

Winfrey recalled telling King, “There’s only one time that all the women are going for the first time. There will be other trips, but there’s only one first time, so to be a pioneer is great.”

King was named as one of the members of the historic flight in February.

“I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time. It’s like how I felt about to deliver a baby,” she said at the time, adding that she spoke to her children and Winfrey before making the choice.

Before the rocket’s lift off, King was spotted looking visibly stressed in her high-fashion space suit.

King excitedly celebrated her landing on Monday, saying she was “still floating” and “couldn’t believe” what she had accomplished.

“The flight instructor said that I am her best success story … because she’s never had someone do the course that’s terrified of flying,” she gushed.

King confirmed that she was “very glad she did it” and didn’t have any “regrets” about going “out of [her] comfort zone.”

In fact, she now feels able to “take on anything” and might even pierce her ears.

The journalist will “never forget” the “peace and kindness” she felt in space during the “oddly quiet” flight — which did include Perry, 40, singing “What a Wonderful World.”

The “Firework” singer also had a special guest in attendance when she took off, with her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy, watching from Texas.

Perry brought one of her little one’s namesake flowers into space to honor her.

Read the full article here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version