Things got somewhat awkward and uncomfortable for Gayle King during a surprise CBS Mornings segment.
It’s no surprise that Gayle is heading to space. Word arrived weeks ago that she’ll travel on a historic Blue Origin New Shepard mission with five other women.
Her crewmates include singer Katy Perry, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and philanthropist and author Lauren Sanchez.
The trip has already received backlash from critics. The View’s Joy Behar questioned the mission, and actress Olivia Munn blasted the space trip on Today with Jenna & Friends.
However, Gayle has expressed excitement over the trip on several occasions but also indicated that her anxiety is at a high level.
She echoed those sentiments in a recent CBS Mornings segment, which she was initially reluctant to participate in.
Gayle tells co-stars ‘I don’t want to do this’ during off-script segment
Earlier this week, Gayle sat with co-stars Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil for a Talk of the Table segment with “Gayle Goes to Space” on the screen and a space backdrop behind them.
“Very special clock on the table, because we are T-minus one week from your big day. Uh, when you’re going to space, Gayle,” Tony said.
“Just reminding you, you are going to space,” he said.
“That’s not in the script here,” Gayle said after looking down at the papers in her hand and over at Nate.
Tony told her she wouldn’t need the papers she was holding and took them from her to place on the table. Nate grabbed her pen and put it on the table.
“We know you’ve had some big feelings about this,” Tony started to say.
“I don’t want to do this,” a reluctant Gayle said, sighing.
“You don’t even know what’s going on,” Nate told her.
“I know, but whatever it is, I don’t want to do it,” she said.
Gayle received well-wishes from stars and co-stars for her space journey
While Gayle was initially reluctant, the segment wasn’t as bad as she might’ve initially thought. Tony had producers “roll the tape,” showing a highlight reel about Gayle’s trip and various celebrities wishing her all the best on her journey.
The video featured stars Drew Barrymore, Tom Hanks, Michael Strahan, Bill Nye, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Megan Rapinoe, and more.
William Shatner also appeared, having previously appeared on CBS Mornings, and seemingly scared Gayle about her trip even more during that interview.
In addition, Gayle’s CBS Mornings co-stars each had messages for her in the video to express their excitement and pride for her embracing the opportunity to go to space.
“That was so nice! That was really nice. Thank you. Thank you,” Gayle said after the video ended.
Gayle said she’s ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘very frightened’ about the Blue Origin flight
Following the video package, Gayle spoke about her fear and excitement over the upcoming space trip.
“To be honest, I’m still really overwhelmed by it. Really excited about it, but very frightened too, but I am really excited about it,” the CBS Mornings star said.
Gayle said she’s interested in seeing “what all the chatter is about” and how the space experience might change her.
In a segment later in the week, Nate and co-star Vladimir Duthiers noted that Gayle’s trip was only four days away, and she was heading to Texas to prepare for the mission.
One of the CBS Mornings production crew members walked out carrying a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses and handed them to Gayle.
“We wanted to say good luck, Gayle. We are all living vicariously through you,” Nate told her.
The Blue Origin NS-31 mission is scheduled for Monday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time or 8:30 a.m. Central Time, from Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas.
CBS Mornings shared they’ll have special coverage of Gayle’s trip on their show on Monday. In addition, Blue Origin indicated a webcast is available showing the launch and more.