See the Surprising Shade, Harsh Rants and Taylor Swift-Inspired Memes from Gayle King and Katy Perry's Flight to Space

See the Surprising Shade, Harsh Rants and Taylor Swift-Inspired Memes from Gayle King and Katy Perry's Flight to Space https://ift.tt/9Da5cIh

Blue Origin's all-female flight took about 11 minutes to complete, but the memes will last a lifetime (as will the headline-making critiques)

X ACCOUNT OF BLUE ORIGIN/AFP via Getty

Blue Origin flight crew

Blue Origin's first all-female flight may have only lasted about 11 minutes, but it was enough time to inspire countless memes and incite some criticism as well.  

On board for the journey on Monday, April 14, were Gayle King, Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos as well as rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

Some of the most viral memes were in response to King’s facial expressions before the flight.

The journalist, 70, looked visibly distressed as she boarded the capsule in West Texas, even though the other women on the crew looked overjoyed. "Gayle rethinking all her life choices..." wrote one user, while another quipped, "Gayle king is all of us on a Monday."

King, who has been candid with her nerves over the trip, later set the record straight at a news conference after the short flight. "At that moment I was so afraid, I just wanted to get into my seat because I just wanted to let the training kick in," she said.

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Perry inspired a fair share of memes too, from her choice to sing "What a Wonderful World" to kissing the ground after leaving the capsule.

"Me getting back to my apartment after running errands," one user joked on X. Meanwhile another social media user's mind went in a very different direction, writing, "pigeons when i eat a croissant outdoors."

Others commented on the length of the trip — with one pointing out that Taylor Swift's short film for the fan-favorite "All Too Well," which is just under 15 minutes long, takes more time to watch than the flight did.

Surprisingly, the fast food chain Wendy's got into the conversation as well, taking a series of slight jabs at the “Dark Horse” singer, 40. “Can we send her back,” their account wrote in response to a post that read, “Katy Perry has returned from space.” 

The account also reposted images of the award-winning singer kissing the ground after returning from the expedition, writing, “I kissed the ground and I liked it,” a callback to Perry’s hit 2008 song, “I Kissed a Girl.” 

Related: Katy Perry Floats Upside Down in Space in Video from Inside Blue Origin Capsule: 'Still Processing This Incredible Journey'

There were also a fair share of critics.

Even before the big day, Olivia Munn questioned the need for the launch while co-hosting the April 3 episode of Today with Jenna and Friends. “I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say. But there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now," she said per Page Six.

Following the flight, Emily Ratajkowski went on to slam the flight, while some TikTok comedians mocked the way the flight crew talked about their achievements, poking fun at how Perry floated in space and deriding Blue Origin's billionaire and celebrity connections.

Olivia Wilde had a few choice words too, sharing a meme that featured two photographs of Perry as she exited the capsule. On top of the two photos was a text that read, "getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin."

"Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess," Wilde wrote.

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When asked about the overall criticism by PEOPLE in a press conference after the flight, King said that in her view, "anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here."

Chiming in, Sánchez remarked, "I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don't just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle. They love their work and they love the mission and it's a big deal for them."