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Martha Stewart’s Zero-Gravity Flashback Appears to Shade Katy Perry’s Blue Origin Spaceflight
Lifestyle icon Martha Stewart seemingly engaged in playful online commentary aimed at pop star Katy Perry and participants of the recent Blue Origin space mission. Stewart reminded her social media followers of her own experience with weightlessness during a Zero-G flight back in 2006, in what some interpret as a subtle jab at the highly publicized space tourism venture.
‘Spaced Out?’ Martha Stewart’s Instagram Post
‘In case you spaced out,’ the 83-year-old lifestyle guru, with a significant social media presence of 8.7 million followers, captioned her Instagram video showcasing her zero-gravity experience.
The caption itself, coupled with the throwback video, prompted many online observers to interpret Stewart’s post as a clever instance of ‘expert trolling’.
Social media users highlighted the perceived contrast, with one commenting, ‘Martha has always been ahead of her time.’
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Blue Origin’s All-Female Crew and Environmental Criticism
The Blue Origin space mission recently launched with an all-female passenger manifest. This included musician Katy Perry, alongside Lauren Sanchez, fiancée of Jeff Bezos, journalist Gayle King, civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn.
While the mission was positioned as a statement promoting female empowerment in space exploration, it quickly attracted disapproval from other celebrities and the public, largely due to concerns regarding its environmental footprint.
Martha Stewart’s Zero-G Flight Experience
In the widely circulated video clip, Stewart effortlessly performs flips and push-ups, demonstrating weightlessness within a parabolic flight. This flight took place aboard a Boeing 727 aircraft, known as G-Force One, operated by the only FAA-approved parabolic flight provider.
‘I boarded a Boeing 727 aircraft called G-Force One and experienced what astronauts feel when they reach zero gravity,’ Stewart, a recipient of ten Daytime Emmy Awards, explained in her post.
Zero-G, established in 1993, offers public flights for passengers aged 12 to 85, with fares starting at $8,900. These flights simulate Martian gravity (1/3-gravity), Lunar gravity (1/6-gravity), and zero gravity.
Martha Stewart’s ‘expert trolling’ of Katy Perry and Blue Origin was perceived through a throwback Thursday post reminding fans of her 2006 Zero-G flight in Florida.
Each Zero-G flight includes approximately 15 parabolas, providing around 30 seconds of weightlessness per parabola.
Notably, Hollywood director Ron Howard utilized similar parabolic flight technology for filming weightless scenes in his 1995 movie ‘Apollo 13’, starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and the late Bill Paxton.
Blue Origin’s Brief Weightless Experience
In contrast, the Blue Origin passengers experienced weightlessness for approximately three to four minutes during their New Shepard NS-31 mission over Texas. This occurred at the Kármán line, situated 62 miles above Earth.
The all-female crew faced substantial criticism from prominent figures and the public alike, with the space trip being labeled as ‘excessive’ and environmentally damaging. Pop star Katy Perry, in particular, received significant backlash for her participation as a ‘space tourist’ on an 11-minute ‘luxury flight’ perceived as contributing significantly to carbon emissions.
Katy Perry’s Post-Flight Reactions and Backlash
One of the most scrutinized moments from the Blue Origin event was Perry’s emergence from the capsule. Upon exiting, she paused to present a daisy to the sky before kneeling to kiss the ground.
Perry then expressed sentiments of feeling ‘super connected to love,’ acknowledged a reporter’s description of her as an astronaut, and declared the all-female mission to be ‘about love and belonging.’
‘It’s not about singing my songs. 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,’ she stated in a post-flight interview.
‘And it’s about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it. This is all for the benefit of Earth.’
Blue Origin spokesperson Bill Kircos indicated to CNN that while ‘some passengers’ received complimentary flights, others paid a refundable deposit of $150,000 to reserve their seat.
Social Media Reactions to Martha Stewart’s Post
Martha Stewart’s Instagram post garnered positive reactions from her followers. User @winedinecaroline commented, ‘Expert trolling,’ in support.
Another user, @missmomiss12, remarked, ‘I don’t remember Martha ever calling herself an astronaut,’ highlighting the perceived contrast with Perry’s reception.
User @the.zanith playfully suggested, ‘Martha Steward started the “Women Taking Up Space” movement.’
@devonlyrandomonium shared a gif of RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Latrice Royale, with the caption ‘Gurl, the shade honey!’ further emphasizing the perceived subtle criticism.
‘In case you spaced out,’ the 83-year-old lifestyle guru captioned her Instagram video. ‘Martha has always been ahead of her time’.
In the clip, Stewart (born Kostyra) expertly performed flips and push-ups as she bounced and floated through the air inside the only FAA-approved parabolic flight provider.
‘I boarded a Boeing 727 aircraft called G-Force One and experienced what astronauts feel when they reach zero gravity,’ the 10-time Daytime Emmy winner explained.
Zero-G – founded in 1993 – costs $8,900 per public flight for passengers, age 12 to 85, and they experience Martian gravity (1/3-gravity), Lunar gravity (1/6-gravity), and zero gravity.
For each of the 15 parabolas passengers experience over the course of the flight, there’s about 30 seconds of zero gravity.
By contrast, the Blue Origin ladies experienced three-four minutes of weightlessness at the Kármán line (62 miles above Earth) during the New Shepard NS-31 mission over Texas on Monday.
Katy Perry’s Regrets and Mission Scrutiny
Since the space venture, reports indicate Katy Perry is reassessing her sentiments about the mission. Sources suggest she reportedly ‘regrets sharing the daisy with the world’ and ‘wishes the video footage from inside the pod was never shown.’
Perry intended to bring the daisy into space as a tribute to her four-year-old daughter.
She also reportedly regrets ‘kissing the ground’ and her ‘close-up camera moments’ within the capsule. During the flight, she held the daisy to the camera, promoted her upcoming tour’s setlist, and sang lyrics from ‘What a Wonderful World’ while experiencing microgravity.
Her behavior during the flight has been described as performative and exaggerated, particularly in light of the recent NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore being rescued after being stranded in space for over nine months.
Critics have also pointed out the brief duration of the celebrity group’s time in ‘space’.
The New Shepard rocket transported the capsule to the edge of space at nearly twice the speed of sound before separating, allowing the passengers to experience a short period of weightlessness.
During this phase, the capsule crossed the Kármán Line, technically marking entry into space from Earth’s atmosphere.
Subsequently, the capsule returned to Earth, with the deployment of parachutes eliciting audible reactions from the crew onboard.
The six-person all-female crew also included (from L-R) Kerianne Flynn, Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, and Gayle King.
Pop star Katy Perry (2-L) has faced significant criticism for being labeled a ‘space tourist’ whose ‘joyride’ has a considerable carbon footprint.
Just 11 minutes post-launch, the New Shepard capsule landed near the launch platform, where Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos welcomed the returning passengers.
Online platforms like X saw users criticize the mission. One commenter wrote: ‘They spent like 30 seconds in space. It’s not much more than a glorified amusement park ride.’
Another added, ‘I could not care less about rich people going to space right now.’
One user stated: ‘It’s just a glorified carnival ride with an escape system and parachutes and tailored outfits/seats. It’s a PR stunt if anything.’
Debate Over ‘Astronaut’ Designation
While crossing the Karman Line technically qualifies the crew as having entered space, leading to the ‘astronaut’ label, social media users contested this designation.
Critics argued that this diminished the accomplishments of trained female astronauts who undergo years of rigorous training to conduct valuable scientific research in space.
One commenter expressed outrage: ‘These women going up in Blue Origin are celebrities going for a 10 minute RIDE in low orbit.’
‘They are not astronauts or a “crew”. In fact, calling them that is an insult to all prior women astronaut women scientists.’
Fans supported Martha’s Instagram post, with user @winedinecaroline praising ‘Expert trolling’.
Instagram user @missmomiss12 commented: ‘I don’t remember Martha ever calling herself an astronaut.’
‘Martha Steward started the “Women Taking Up Space” movement,’ Instagram user @the.zanith quipped.
Instagram user @devonlyrandomonium posted a gif of RuPaul’s Drag Race #4 alum Latrice Royale fanning herself and saying: ‘Gurl, the shade honey!’
Another social media user added, ‘All Paying Passengers, no trained crew on board. So like flying on an Airline, they do not become Pilots or Astronauts.’
While another stated, ‘There are female astronauts…they are highly accomplished women in sciences and military aviation.’
Celebrity Criticism and Environmental Concerns
A number of celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, and Amy Schumer, have also criticized the Blue Origin spectacle, deeming it a frivolous publicity campaign for Bezos’ company.
Model Emily Ratajkowski described it as ‘end time s**t. Like, this is beyond parody,’ adding, ‘That you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s singlehandedly destroying the planet?’
Fast food chain Wendy’s also entered the critique, leaving a comment on a photo of Perry in her spacesuit, asking if they could ‘send her back’ to space.
Perry’s long-time pop music rival Kesha reportedly enjoyed the backlash, posting a picture of herself drinking from a Wendy’s cup, which Perry felt was ‘adding fuel to the fire.’
Comedian Amy Schumer also joined the criticism, sharing clips mocking the mission and pretending to participate.
The pop star was seen kissing the ground as she descended from the Blue Origin capsule, before launching into an emotional post-flight interview with reporters.
Upon arriving back on Earth, each of the ladies were seen exiting the rocket one by one – but Perry’s reaction to completing the journey left many people all across the web unamused.
The singer also took the opportunity to promote her upcoming Lifetimes tour by showing off the setlist while suspended in microgravity.
Beyond post-flight behavior, online discussions also questioned the environmental impact of such space missions.
While Bezos’ rocket emits primarily water vapor—resulting in minimal direct carbon emissions—Eloise Marais, a professor at University College London, noted to the BBC that water vapor, despite appearing cleaner, is still an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas that can contribute to global warming.
This raised concerns, particularly given Perry’s history of advocating for climate change awareness, notably in a resurfaced UNICEF video from 2015.
Lauren Sanchez defended the mission against criticism in a post-flight interview. Responding to Olivia Munn’s ‘gluttonous’ comment, Sanchez stated: ‘I get really fired up.’
She invited critics to ‘come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle. They love their work and they love the mission and it’s a big deal for them.’
‘So when we hear comments like that, I just say, “Trust me. Come with me. I’ll show you what this is about, and it’s, it’s really eye-opening,”‘ Sanchez concluded.
On Thursday, Stewart appeared on TODAY to promote her new Gardening Handbook, which hit shelves March 18, and spread some Easter cheer.
The domestic diva then instructed Mike Tirico (M) and Savannah Guthrie (L) on how to make 24K gold leaf-covered wooden eggs for lavish Easter egg hunts.
‘It’s so much fun to work with gold leaf!’ Martha gushed. ‘I love gold-leafing things! And you know our president [Donald Trump] loves gold leaf too’.
Stewart and José Andrés teamed up to co-host a new cooking competition series Yes, Chef! – premiering April 28 on NBC – in which 12 contestants compete for a $250K grand prize (pictured March 27).
Martha Stewart’s Media Appearances
Coincidentally, around the same time as the Blue Origin mission controversy, Stewart made media appearances to promote her new book and other ventures.
On Thursday, Stewart appeared on TODAY to promote her ‘Gardening Handbook’, released March 18, and to share Easter-themed content.
‘I’m hosting a lunch at my house,’ the domestic icon shared.
‘And I thought, I must use everything in the garden. So it is about beautiful floral eggs. It is about the first tulips from the tulip patch. And then finding the biggest, best chocolate rabbit! My friend Jacque Torres gave me that. Isn’t that great?’
Stewart demonstrated to Mike Tirico and Savannah Guthrie the process of creating 24K gold leaf-covered wooden eggs for elaborate Easter egg hunts.
‘It’s so much fun to work with gold leaf!’ Stewart exclaimed.
‘I love gold-leafing things! And you know our president [Donald Trump] loves gold leaf too.’
Stewart is also partnering with chef José Andrés to co-host ‘Yes, Chef!’, a new cooking competition series premiering April 28 on NBC, where 12 contestants will vie for a $250,000 grand prize.