Gayle King’s priceless reaction during space trip floods social media with memes

Gayle King officially blasted off into space on April 14 with an all-female crew on a Blue Origin rocket, but it's her iconic "Is this seatbelt NASA-approved? " look that really soared. Though the flight was mere minutes long, the internet remains in orbit around her boarding face, which nailed the vibe of "brave, but also kind of regretful for skipping breakfast."

Yes, Gayle King made history by taking off into space, but let's be honest, she broke everyone on planet Earth's heart while doing so. Who would have thought that the act of getting inside a rocket would be so deeply relatable? That look of uncertainty when the countdown reached zero? We've all had that moment where we committed to something and immediately regretted every life decision up until then.

When Gayle King stepped into the Blue Origin capsule Monday morning, it wasn’t exactly with the swagger of a space cowboy. While the rest of the all-female crew looked like they were heading to an intergalactic brunch, Gayle's expression was more "I'm doing this for journalism, right?"

Later, she revealed she was absolutely petrified at that time and simply hoped all that training would just magically kick in. Her boarding face immediately became an expression, one of screaming, "I've accepted my decisions. I hope." For one accustomed to interviewing global leaders, space seemed to provide a different kind of pressure, being launched upwards with no teleprompter." In her words:

"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. I just wanted to get inside the capsule and sit down. So the process of walking up there was a little daunting for me."

But Gayle King's face of space didn't simply propel her into orbit, it propelled a thousand memes alongside her. In minutes, the internet had co-opted her "mild existential dread" face as the official 2025 mood. She was having her face photoshopped onto rollercoasters, tax reminder emails, and "when you realize the rocket has no snacks" headlines.

As Gayle made space history, the memes made social media history. For real, NASA needs to begin incorporating meme viability into every launch.

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Who went to space with Katy Perry and Gayle King?

Now that the space-faring Avengers have safely returned to Earth, it’s clear they were as effective in space as they are on the ground. Aisha Bowe probably worked out a plan for intergalactic travel while sipping coffee because when you’re a former NASA rocket scientist and a tech CEO, "free time" just means solving the universe's problems.

Amanda Nguyen walked the tight wire of civil rights work and space intel so smoothly, you'd imagine you could hear her whispering, "Multitasking is my superpower." Gayle King? She's probably planning her next zero-gravity interview with the Martians. Katy Perry brought the sparkle along on her space drive.

Kerianne Flynn is already available for sale peddling the film, and Lauren Sánchez is likely already interviewing extraterrestrials with a smile. If this team went out for breakfast, they'd fix the world's problems, end world hunger, and still make it to space before the bill.

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Online memes take off as Gayle King's iconic space trip reaction fuels a social media meltdown of hilarity

Gayle King's short space trip took only minutes, but her reaction created a meme marathon that seemed like a cosmic phenomenon in itself. From side-eyes to moon-orbiting stress levels, internet users went wild turning her space tale into comedy gold.

Some saw her haggling with mission control like she specified a seat by the window and received turbulence as change, and others were sure that she watched her soul fly out of her body before the rocket even took off. Forget stars. Gayle, by accident, stumbled upon a new constellation comprised entirely of reaction images.

Realizing that it's only monday (Via X/ @FatKidDeals)

Gayle King's expression during liftoff has become the universal face of Monday blues in no time. It's the same facial expression one gets upon realizing the weekend is over. It's the moment your alarm clock rings, and you're already wondering about all your life choices. Her starry-eyed expression creates pure "this can't be happening" vibes. Seriously, if Mondays had a mood board, Gayle drifting about in confusion would be the star feature.

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Gayle King looking like she just saw the price of that 11 minutes in space (Via X/ @EoinKeane101)

Gayle King's expression at liftoff was the same as that of someone looking at the receipt after inadvertently ordering seafood market price. She had the look of someone who just did the math in her head about the price of an 11-minute flight to space and saw that she could have bought a house. or five. That look wasn't fear, it was budgetary existentialism at 3,500 miles per hour. Somewhere in that rocket, her wallet likely cringed, too.

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When your boss hits you with "one more thing" at 4 PM (Via X/ @betchesluvthis)

Gayle King's face in that capsule was the perfect face of "Please no" when your boss delivers an unexpected task at 4 PM. You can almost hear her say to herself, "This isn't what I signed up for," as she floats away into the nothingness, pining for the sweet oblivion of 5 PM.

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If I send you this it means im gonna do it but I dont want to (Via X/ @SpencerSays)

Gayle King's face on liftoff is exactly the face you make when you send someone a text, "I'll do it," but are actually inwardly you have no desire to do it. It's the same energy as sending that "I'll handle it" text while Googling how to fake calling in sick. You can just imagine her saying, "Sure, I'll go to space. but can I nap first?" It is the greatest manifestation of "I agreed, but let's negotiate this mission".

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me clocking into the job I prayed for (Via X/ @2HNDSUM)

Gayle King's expression at liftoff is precisely how you feel when you punch in at the job you prayed for, only to discover it's not all champagne and spacewalks. It's that moment when you're like, "Wait, this was my dream job?" as you step into a new position and immediately wonder if you're in the wrong galaxy.

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Gayle King walked into that rocket like a prisoner facing the gallows (Via X/ @NGettyD)

Gayle King entered that rocket like a condemned prisoner going to the gallows, no way out, no stopping short, just a one-way journey to space accompanied by an existential horror. You can almost hear the operatic music swell as she steps onto the launch pad, knowing full well that the next 11 minutes would test her patience and determination.

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Gayle King thinking she can’t believe she didn’t dismiss this foolishness out of hand (Via X/ @MeganRobertson)

You can almost hear the internal dialogue of, "How did I get myself roped into this? I'm a tough journalist, but for some reason, I couldn't say 'no' to floating around in space for 11 minutes?" You know she's up there in that rocket thinking, "Next time, I'm just going to stick with the couch and a good book."

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It is so funny that even Gayle King now knows that she's a meme today (Via X/ @SinnamonCouture)

It's great that Gayle King knows she's the meme of the day, she's likely sitting back going, "Yep, I'm officially the face of panic, regret, and confusion; but make it iconic." You can totally imagine her owning up to her new title as the "emotional rollercoaster face of space," taking it all in stride with the humor and grace we've grown to anticipate. Honestly, she’s probably secretly loving the meme fame, like, "I might’ve been terrified for 11 minutes, but now I'm an internet legend!"

And, yes, she is loving the memes as she said!

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In any case, Gayle King's response to her short but intense space experience has indeed propelled her to meme stardom, and she is well deserving of it. Who would have imagined that the look of space-induced fear combined with a dash of confusion would turn into the internet's new obsession? The possibilities are limitless!

Ultimately, Gayle King's space flight only took 11 minutes, but her response will live on forever. She has secured her place as the undisputed queen of space memes.

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Also Read: Katy Perry says her space trip awakened ‘divine feminine’ energy, fans say: “Rich people just be doing and saying anything”