Topics: Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin, Katy Perry, Space, Earth, Money, Amy Schumer, Emily Ratajkowski, NASA, Celebrity
Not everyone is applauding the initiative that sent a group of celebrities on an 11-minute space mission, with Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde the latest to comment on the matter.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos successfully sent a group of famous faces on a brief yet historic trip to space aboard his private Blue Origin capsule on Monday (April 14), including his fiancee, the journalist Lauren Sánchez, and singer Katy Perry.
Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, documentary producer Kerianne Flynn, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyễn and journalist Gayle King also joined in on the stunt which marked the first all-female crew to space since 1963.
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However, many have been weighing in on the situation, asking why the celebs even went on the apparently pointless and eye-wateringly expensive voyage at all.
American actress and director Olivia Wilde shared a few choice words about the expedition on Instagram where she wrote a short yet brutal comment.
She shared a viral meme of Perry, which shows the pop singer immediately kissing the ground upon exiting the space capsule with the caption: "Getting off a commercial flight in 2025."
Sharing the joke, Wilde wrote: "Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess."
Her comment comes as the debate ensues over whether the trip could be even called a 'space mission,' since the passengers aboard the autonomous vessel merely touched the boundary of space.
They also only managed a few minutes of weightlessness near the Karman Line before hurtling back down to Earth, and screamed all the way before landing in the Texas desert.
The 41-year-old star isn't the only one to make their disapproval for the mission known either.
Olivia Munn also questioned the need for it while co-hosting an episode of Today with Jenna and Friends, saying: "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."
“I know this is probably obnoxious, but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs,” she added before dubbing the journey 'gluttonous'.
Model and actress Emily Ratajkowski also didn't hold back and took to TikTok to rant about the affair she described as 'beyond parody'.
"Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space... For what? What was the marketing there?"
She added: "I'm disgusted. Literally, I'm disgusted."
Comedian Amy Schumer also appeared to make a tongue-in-cheek dig towards Perry, who took a daisy with her to space as a symbol for her daughter, called Daisy.
Schumer joked she had a 'last second' invite to space and said she was going to bring a Black Panther toy.
"I'm bringing this thing. It has no meaning to me, but it was in my bag, and I was on the subway, and I got the text, and they were like, 'Do you want to go to space?' So I'm going to space," she jibed.
Meanwhile, Sánchez slammed the backlash before the trip, saying: "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."
"So when we hear comments like that, I just say, 'Trust me. Come with me. I'll show you what this is about, and it's really eye-opening.'"
