Oprah Winfrey's reaction to Gayle King's historic spaceflight with Blue Origin sparked a wave of humorous online backlash, with many users accusing the media mogul of "fake crying" for the cameras.

As King, 70, took off from Blue Origin's launch site in Texas on Monday, footage showed Winfrey, 71, taking off her sunglasses and appearing teary-eyed. The launch marked a milestone for the company's all-female crew — including King — who traveled beyond Earth's atmosphere aboard the New Shepard rocket.

But online audiences saw right through Winfrey's emotional facade and the faux tears as soon as she spotted the camera on her.

People had a lot to say in response to Winfrey crying when the camera turned to her shot, with one skeptical viewer tweeting:

Other critics joined in,includinge:

A Proud Best Friend, Despite the Critics

Despite the online roasting, Winfrey defended King's bravery ahead of the flight, noting her friend's intense fear of flying.

"I've never been more proud," Winfrey told reporters at the site. "This is bigger than just going to space for [Gayle]. Any time we're on a flight, she's in someone's lap if there's the slightest bit of turbulence."

"She has real, real, real anxiety flying," she added. "This is overcome a wall of fear, a barrier. I think it's gonna be cathartic for her."

The crew of six aboard the NS-31 included Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez, singer Katy Perry, producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rock scientist Aisha Bowe. After an 11-minute flight, the capsule parachuted back down after briefly crossing the Kármán Line, 62 miles above the Earth.

Blue Origin's mission marked its first successful passenger flight since a rocket failure in 2022, and the launch was widely viewed as a symbol of female empowerment — even if Winfrey's tears stole the show for all the wrong reasons.

Gayle Defends Jeff Bezos Critics

King also spoke to CBS Mornings co-host Vlad Duthiers just days ahead of liftoff about criticism directed toward Bezos and his recent actions, including controversial moves involving The Washington Post.

"There have been some questions and some decisions that he has made that I've actually gone, 'Huh?'" King admitted. "But I think in this particular case, I think this is so much bigger than one man and one company."

"It's not a zero-sum game," she continued. "You can do this on the one hand and this on the other hand. And both things can be true."

King said that she also carried with her onto the flight a few comforts of home, specifically stuffed animals picked out by her grandson.

"I asked my daughter and my favorite grandson, 'Could you pick out your favorite stuffed animals for me to take into space?' So, he's looking,"

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Oprah winfrey, Gayle King