Gayle King Fumes About ‘Very Irritating’ Media Coverage of Her Space ‘Ride’: ‘They Never Say Men Went for a Ride’

Gayle King on Tuesday suggested it was sexist to characterize her brief trip into space with Blue Origin as a “space ride.”

King and several other celebrities — including pop star Katy Perry — took part in an all-woman space flight Monday morning. The fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos was also part of the group.

In the aftermath of the 11-minute trip, critics wondered what the purpose of the trip was. Some even flatly dismissed it as a publicity stunt. The next morning, King and fellow Blue Origin crewmate Aisha Bowe talked about scientific impact similar trips on CBS Mornings.

“There’s so many things that have been developed in space that benefit Earth,” Bowe said, “from pharmaceuticals to, like, research on agriculture; and, you know, I paused there because we did research and it was emotional. I mean, part of what I accomplished in my flight was I was looking at the future of being able to produce crops that can withstand harsh environments so we can look at food security here on Earth; and simultaneously, we also were able to certify that device so more people could do research on New Shepard.”

Before Gayle posed her follow-up question, she gave her two cents on the way people have dismissed the trip.

“So what do you think when people say, ‘Oh, it’s frivolous’?” King said. “Number one, they call it a ride, which I find very irritating because they never say men went for a ride. What do you say to people who think that this was frivolous or just a ride? You know, I think the message that it sends is very, very powerful; and the people that say that, by the way, weren’t there.”

Watch above via CBS