Gayle King reveals real reason Oprah Winfrey cried during controversial Blue Origin space launch

Gayle King has clarified her best friend Oprah Winfrey’s reaction during her divisive Blue Origin space trip after she was accused by skeptics of ‘fake crying.’

The CBS Mornings host, 70, blasted into space for 11 minutes on April 14 alongside an all-female crew, which included Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez and singer Katy Perry.

During the launch, cameras caught Oprah, 71, removing her sunglasses and getting emotional as her friend took off in a rocket, which prompted an outpouring of doubts that the tears were insincere.

But now, Gayle has explained what really happened.

Speaking at the TIME100 Gala on Thursday night, Gayle said of her pal: ‘She was so welled up. I know she said at one point [that] she was proud of me.

‘When people saw her crying, people said, “Oh, she’s so worried. She thinks something’s gonna happen.”‘

But Gayle explained to E! News: ‘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.”‘

At the launch site, Oprah told reporters that the trip was monumental for Gayle due to her fear of flying.

Gayle King has clarified Oprah Winfrey’s tearful reaction to her divisive Blue Origin space trip

 Cameras caught Oprah removing her sunglasses and emotional as her friend took off

‘I’ve never been more proud. 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,’ Oprah shared.

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

The six-person Blue Origin crew also included Lauren, Katy, film producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe.

Gayle, however, hit back at critics during an interview with People, in which she said she feels that anyone ‘criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.’

‘We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women from young girls about what this represents,’ the the journalist said, in defense of their trip to space.

The space mission has garnered widespread backlash, with several celebrities calling out the trip.

Gayle, however, hit back at critics during an interview with People, in which she said she feels that anyone ‘criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.’

‘We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women from young girls about what this represents,’ the journalist said, in defense of their trip to space.

The host was accused by critics of fake crying, but Gayle clarified what really went on

Gayle explained that Oprah ‘was crying because she knew what it took for me to do that’

Since the controversial flight, singer Katy has also become an international laughing stock and severely-damaged her reputation with her zero-gravity antics.

She posed for the camera with an excruciatingly earnest expression while in space, brandishing a daisy in honor of her daughter and plugging the set list for her upcoming tour.

Katy then tossed her hair melodramatically as she got back off the spacecraft before kissing the ground.

She waxed poetic about feeling ‘super connected to love’ after her post-flight photo-op, while thanking a reporter who referred to as ‘an astronaut’ rather than a passenger.

‘It’s not about singing my songs,’ the American Idol judge said.

‘It’s about a collective energy in there. It’s about us. It’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging.’

Her comments spurred almost immediate backlash, leading an insider close to Katy to tell DailyMail.com she now regrets how she handled the trip.

‘Katy doesn’t regret going to space,’ the source said, adding how the star now regrets ‘kissing the ground’ after the flight as well as her ‘close-up camera moments’ inside the capsule

‘It was life changing,’ they went on, reiterating Katy’s past, polarizing comments.

‘What she does regret is making a public spectacle out of it,’ the insider exclusively said.