Gayle King’s space escapade helped CBS Mornings secure the top position on the Nielsen ratings list. But like the space adventure, the high ratings were short-lived.
Approximately 3.9 million viewers tuned in to witness the galactic joyride April 14, compared to ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today, which drew 2.7 million and 2.5 million viewers, respectively. This has been the show’s highest rating since March 2021, when King’s best friend, Oprah Winfrey, interviewed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, drawing in 4.82 million viewers.
Following the soaring ratings, CBS Mornings dropped back to third place this week behind Good Morning America (2.7 million) and Today (2.5 million).
King joined Katy Perry and four other women for an 11-minute ride to space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket, which aired live on the show.
Despite the high ratings, Bezos’ televised joyride garnered harsh criticism from social media users and television personalities such as Olivia Munn, who referred to the galactic jaunt as “gluttonous.” Other critics accused the women of taking visibility away from women astronauts. King and Perry, arguably the most famous of the six honorary astronauts, received the brunt of the backlash.
“People have been in agony about gas, eggs, jobs, mortgages, civil rights & their 401, but Gayle King thinks it’s inspiring right now for Women to see millionaires go to space on behalf of the oligarch Jeff Bezos, who blocked the Washington Post’s Female candidate endorsement.” RealDealChris wrote on X.
People have been in agony about gas, eggs, jobs, mortgages, civil rights & their 401K but Gayle King thinks it’s inspiring right now for Women to see millionaires go to space on behalf of the oligarch Jeff Bezos who blocked the Washington Post’s Female candidate endorsement 😒💀 pic.twitter.com/EZqLaNZXkQ
— Chris (@RealDealChris) April 16, 2025
Gayle King responded to the criticism in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“Space is not an either/or; it’s a both/and, and because you do something in space, it doesn’t mean you’re taking anything from Earth,” the award-winning journalist told the outlet. “So I wish people would do more due diligence. And then my question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing.’”
King’s response sparked even more backlash, but the morning news anchor remains firm in her decision.
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