When Blue Origin launched a crew of all-female celebrities into space on Monday, April 14, it made history—but not everyone was cheering. Big names like Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, Emily…
When Blue Origin launched a crew of all-female celebrities into space on Monday, April 14, it made history—but not everyone was cheering.
Big names like Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, Emily Ratajkowski, and others weren’t impressed with the star-powered mission, which was the first all-female spaceflight crew since Valentina Tereshkova flew solo in 1963.
The flight was only 11 minutes long, but the online reaction lasted way longer. Social media lit up with hot takes, memes, and criticism. On board were pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings host Gayle King, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. During the brief trip, Perry even sang “What a Wonderful World” to her fellow passengers and kissed the ground when they landed.
Some weren’t feeling the love.
After the flight received backlash, both King and Sánchez stood up for it. King told People, “anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.”
But that didn’t stop the critics. Emily Ratajkowski called out the launch in a TikTok, saying she was “disgusted” by it.
“That’s end time s—,” Ratajkowski said in the clip. “Like, this is beyond parody.”
She continued, “You say that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and you go up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that is single-handedly destroying the planet. … Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what?”
Olivia Wilde also joined the chorus of eye-rolls. She reposted a meme originally from @betches on her Instagram Story that made fun of the mission. The meme showed Perry stepping out of the spacecraft with the caption, “Getting off a commercial flight in 2025.” Wilde added, “Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess.”
Earlier this month, Olivia Munn openly questioned the trip’s purpose during an appearance on 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. “What are you guys gonna do up in space? What are you doing up there?”
Munn added that space travel is incredibly expensive, pointing out that the average person “can’t even afford eggs.”
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” she continued. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
Even comedian Amy Schumer couldn’t resist turning the space launch into a punchline.
“So I’m going to space and I’m so excited,” she joked on Instagram. “Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry and Amanda Nguyen have been my guiding lights through this whole journey, which I just got called to be part of this space team this morning. And I’m loving it. I’ve always wanted to go to space, and also I just have to say, How high were the people who came up with the name for space? Were they like, ‘What should we call it? It’s got so much, like, space.’”
Even Wendy’s (yes, the fast food chain) chimed in. After someone tweeted, “Katy Perry has returned from space,” Wendy’s replied, “Can we send her back?” They also mocked her emotional landing moment by tweeting, “I kissed the ground and i liked it,” nodding to her hit song “I Kissed a Girl.”
Meanwhile on Reddit, users debated whether the trip should even count as real space travel.
“As a lover of all things space related I think space travel is awesome and I’m glad people are able to finally start experiencing the thrill of a quick space trip. I am however annoyed they are using the title as Astronaut’s or Space Crew,” one user wrote.
Another added: “Just as bad as calling the tourist riders ‘astronauts’ is Blue Origin calling these flights ‘missions’.”
And yet another chimed in with mixed feelings: “I don’t want to take anything away from these ladies as it’s a once in a lifetime experience at this moment and it took a lot of guts for them to do what they did.”
They continued, “However, they are neither a crew or astronauts, either in practice or by definition and I don’t know why they keep repeating this. They were strapped to a seat for 11 minutes. They had 2 days training on what to expect and how to react. They didn’t crew anything or train to be an astronaut. They are space tourists.”
And technically, that’s true. According to the FAA and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 460, people who pay to go on these flights aren’t called astronauts—they’re officially known as “spaceflight participants.”
While this high-profile launch made headlines and history, it also sparked a major debate: Should billionaires and celebrities be taking joyrides to the edge of space while big problems remain unsolved on Earth? Some see it as an empowering moment for women in spaceflight. Others say it’s a flashy distraction—more about selfies and spectacle than science and progress. One thing’s for sure: if the mission was to get people talking, mission accomplished.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She’s made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.
