King made history by launching into space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard while best friend Winfrey watched tearfully from Earth.
Oprah Winfrey was overcome with emotion as she watched her longtime best friend, Gayle King, launch into space aboard a Blue Origin rocket, calling the moment « one of the most extraordinary » of their decades-long friendship.
King, 69, joined five other civilians on Blue Origin’s latest New Shepard mission, which launched from a site in West Texas on Monday morning. The brief but historic flight marked King’s first venture into space, making her one of only a handful of journalists—and one of even fewer Black women—to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Winfrey, who previously described herself as « terrified » about the mission, was seen cheering and wiping away tears as she watched the launch live.
« I have never been more proud », she said in a social media video, posted shortly after liftoff. « To see her rise—literally—is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever witnessed.
