"You did that and I'm so proud of you": Gayle King shares what longtime best friend Oprah Winfrey said to her after her trip to space

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey have been friends for more than 50 years, and they have officially gained BFF status. A few days ago, Gayle King made headlines for being one of the first people to go to space in an all-female crew with Blue Origin. The momentous event was witnessed by people all around the world, including a few A-list celebrities and friends of the women in the spaceship. Oprah Winfrey was among the few individuals who watched the launch from the ground.

While Gayle attended the Time100 red carpet, she was asked by an E! News reporter what Oprah Winfrey's first words to her were after she landed. Gayle took her time to recall what Winfrey's first words were. King responded:

"Good question. I don't know, she was so welled up. She was so welled up and I don't know... I know she said at one point she was proud of me, because when people saw her crying, it was funny. People said, 'Oh, she’s so worried. She thinks something's gonna happen'. That wasn't it at all.

Gayle explained:

"She was crying because she knew what it took for me to do that, and so when I came, she was saying, ‘I'm so proud of you. You did that, and I'm so proud of you'. But she always said I was gonna be okay, and Oprah knows things."

More details about Gayle King's thoughts and experience before and after going to space

Everyone on the internet has probably seen Gayle King's face before she got on to the Blue Origin. King's facial expression while ringing the bell showed that she seemed to be nervous about her flight. Many memes have been made using Gayle's expression at the time.

Gayle addressed this topic during a news conference after her space flight. She said:

"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," the CBS News journalist explained.

Later on, during an Oprah Daily interview on the same day. She talked about the same topic again, revealing a few more details:

"I knew that I was always going to do it... Although, we were told, '"If you’re going to back out, you have to do so before 2 minutes and 30 seconds. You have to say, 'I’m not going to fly.'"But getting on, it was a little scary. So the memes show that I was apprehensive," she added more to the previous explanation.

Although Gayle King's space trip was a personal triumph, the world saw Oprah Winfrey supporting her best friend through it and getting emotional on camera. Their reunion after King landed highlighted the bond between the two women and the pride they share about each other's accomplishments.

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