Gayle King is happy to address the “haters” voicing criticism over Blue Origin’s all-female space flight. 

During a Tuesday interview with Extra, the CBS Morning co-anchor said it was “good that we can really address” the controversy that has erupted after some questioned the usefulness of the expedition. 

“I was one of those people, before I went on this flight and became educated at space, [questioning,] ‘Why are we spending so much money on space when there’s so much to do here on Earth?’” King said. She added her perspective shifted when she learned more about “what Blue Origin does,” which included finding “a way to harness the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space to make planet Earth a better place.”

“So I wish people would do more due diligence,” King continued, before pushing back at the critics. “And then my question is, ‘Have y’all been to space?’ Go to Blue Origin and see what they do and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing.’”

On April 14, King, Katy Perry, Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez, film producer Kerianne Flynn, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and research scientist Amanda Nguyen headed into space for a 10-minute flight to notably become Blue Origin’s first all-female transport. Once news of the venture was announced, Olivia Munn questioned the motive for the space flight and called it “gluttonous,” and that started a wave of criticism about the journey. 

King acknowledged the financial concerns over the flight, admitting it was “expensive,” but with further exposure “if you get enough people who are interested, it doesn’t have to be that expensive.” She also fired back at those calling their journey a “ride” — a sentiment Munn used during her appearance on a Today With Jenna & Friends where she questioned the need for the expedition.

“I don’t like that people are calling it ‘a ride.’ You never see a man, a male astronaut, who’s going up in space and they said, ‘Oh we took a ride,’” King added. “I feel that’s a little disrespectful to what the mission was and the work that Blue Origin does.” 

In fact, King said that the Blue Origin journey had already inspired “young girls in particular,” while also allowing young boys to “see what women and young girls can do.” 

Despite the backlash, the TV personality acknowledged the “cranky Yankees” and “haters” critiquing the mission, before adding: “But I’m not going to let people steal my joy and steal the joy of what we did or what we accomplished that day — I’m just not going to let it in.”