Gayle King has joked that she wants to “get married.” The quip comes after successfully completing a groundbreaking journey that made her part of the first all-female crew to reach the edge of space.
The 70-year-old broadcast journalist and her five other Blue Origin all-female crewmates — pop star Katy Perry, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sanchez, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn — flew to the boundary of space on April 15 on an 11-minute mission. This historic flight marked a significant milestone in commercial space travel, with the crew experiencing weightlessness during their journey.
And as King has now ticked space off her wish list, she now joked she wants to get married next. The journey aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket provided the crew with spectacular views of our planet from the boundary of space.
“Getting married,” the star declared to People when asked about her new ambitions. She was married to William Bumpus from 1982 to 1993 and has a daughter called Kirby, 38, and a son named William Jr., 37, with him. Then, she changed her mind.
“No, piercing my ears,” King said. Despite her joking tone, King has been open about her personal life and dating challenges in recent interviews.
The “CBS Mornings” co-host has previously spoken about how she has struggled to use dating apps because she is famous. Dating apps have become increasingly popular, though public figures often face unique challenges with digital dating platforms.
“If I could go on a dating app and people didn’t know it was me, but I think it’s hard when you’re a public person,” she said on “The Tamron Hall Show” in 2024. “I do think that’s hard. So, you just hope [to find] a friend of a friend.” The challenges of dating in the public eye are well-documented among celebrities and media personalities.
King is hoping whoever she strikes up a romance with is “definitely younger” than she is, though she’s clear that she doesn’t “want to date somebody I could have given birth to.” Age-gap relationships have become more common in modern dating cultures.
“I don’t want to be a nurse or a purse. I would like it that they have all of their teeth. That would be nice,” she shared with her characteristic humor that has endeared her to millions of viewers during her decades-long broadcasting career.
The most important thing about whoever she meets is that they appreciate and celebrate her for being herself. Relationship experts consistently identify mutual respect and support as key indicators of healthy partnerships.
“You want somebody who celebrates you, who is excited for you, who is very comfortable in their own skin,” King said. These qualities have long been recognized as essential elements for successful relationships.
And someone who is very proud of her is King’s best friend and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who wept as King and her five crew mates blasted off. Their friendship has spanned decades, making it one of the most enduring and celebrated friendships in entertainment.
“She was so welled up. I know she said at one point [that] she was proud of me,” King told E! News. “When people saw her crying, people said, ‘Oh, she’s so worried. She thinks something’s gonna happen.'” Winfrey has been a constant supporter throughout King’s career milestones.
“That wasn’t it at all. She was crying because she knew what it took for me to do that, and so when I came [back] she was saying, ‘I’m so proud of you. You did that and I’m so proud of you.'” The Blue Origin mission required extensive training and preparation, including specialized instruction on how to handle the unique conditions of spaceflight.
“She always said I was gonna be OK. And Oprah knows things.” Their friendship has been well-documented over the years, with both women frequently expressing their admiration and support for each other.
The historic all-female flight has been celebrated as a significant moment for women in space exploration, an industry where women have traditionally been underrepresented. King‘s journey represents an important advancement toward greater gender diversity in space travel and exploration.
The Blue Origin mission continues to inspire discussions about the future of commercial space travel and its accessibility to a wider range of participants beyond traditional astronauts.
