When a billionaire speaks, Shaquille O’Neal listens—but he doesn’t always clap. Over the years, Shaq has credited moguls like Jeff Bezos for helping shape his investment mindset, soaking in lessons that turned millions into more. But Shaq isn’t one to blindly cheer. This time, he’s throwing a little shade at the Bezos’s Blue Origin venture—and it’s raising more than a few eyebrows.
On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin sent six women, including Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, and Gayle King on an 11-minute trip past the Kármán line. It was the first all-woman crew in space since 1963, and made for equal parts celebrity moment and scripted history. The $150,000 deposit grabbed headlines but also sparked debate over space tourism’s high cost and environmental toll, reported Forbes. With the industry jumping from $848.28 million in 2023 to $1.3 billion last year, the interest is sky-high. But criticism has poured in from all corners—and now, even Shaquille O’Neal is adding his voice to the mix.
On The Big Podcast with Shaq, when asked why he didn’t join Blue Origin’s spaceflight, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t just throw out wild criticism—he built up to it in classic Shaq fashion. “I know Jeff loves Laura,” he said, nodding to Bezos’ fiancée being on board. Then came the twist: “He wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. So, I think there was some green screen involvement there. That’s one.” Yep, Shaq thinks the whole thing might’ve been staged. And he didn’t stop there.
Shaq keenly pointed out, “Number two, their hair was luxurious in space. Didn’t move a bit. Katy Perry’s hair didn’t move. Laura’s hair didn’t move.” Then came the final punch: “I saw when they landed—Jeff had the special key, but it [door] was already open. So, I’m going to Universal Studios green screen on this one.”
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos poses with from left film producer Kerianne Flynn, popstar Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez Jeff Bezos fiancée, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, journalist Gayle King, and bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen, after the all-female crew landed in West Texas after Blue Origin completed its 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of its New Shepard program on Monday, April 14, 2025. Photo via Blue Origin/ PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY WAX2025041401 BLUExORIGIN
Turns out, Shaq isn’t the only one raising eyebrows at Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight—he’s just the most famous voice in a sea of online skeptics. As soon as the mission wrapped up, the internet exploded with conspiracy theories. From CGI accusations to green screen jokes, some users were convinced the whole thing was staged, reported The Economic Times. One post on X even asked, “Anyone else think the Blue Origin flight today was a Hollywood fake?”
Some folks went deep into the rabbit hole, calling it one of the biggest lies in the history of mankind, while others claimed the crew was actually in a Hollywood movie studio inside a pool. A few even dragged Katy Perry into it, linking the mission to wild occult theories. So, while Shaq might’ve joked about green screens and hair that didn’t move, he’s far from alone—this flight sparked conspiracy chaos across the internet. But let’s be clear—Shaq isn’t just throwing jabs at Jeff Bezos for the sake of it. These two share a history.
Shaquille O’Neal’s purpose-driven portfolio
Shaquille O’Neal listened to Jeff Bezos—and it changed the way he did business. The four-time NBA champion and business mogul took Bezos’ words to heart: “If you invest in things that’s going to change people’s lives, you’ll always get a great return on your investment.” That single quote became the blueprint for Shaq’s investing philosophy. “Once I started doing that strategy, I think I probably quadrupled what I’m worth,” he told The Wall Street Journal back in 2019. For Shaq, it wasn’t just good advice—it was transformational, as it “quadrupled” his net worth to $500 million today.
That same mindset is exactly what drove him to invest in Campus, an online community college startup founded in 2022. With over $29 million already raised from heavy-hitters like Sam Altman and Discord’s Jason Citron, Campus had momentum. But Shaq didn’t just jump in for the buzz. He told Fortune the investment reminded him of Bezos’ philosophy. “This particular investment is not about great return because I feel that everyone should have access to world-class education,” he said. It wasn’t about chasing profit—it was about changing lives.
And that belief has guided some of his biggest wins. He didn’t just invest in Ring because it looked good on paper—he used it himself, saw the impact, and backed it. That bet turned into a billion-dollar payday when Amazon bought the company in 2018. Shaq also famously passed on 17 Auntie Anne’s franchises because, as he put it, “I had to ask myself: Do I really believe in this? The answer was no, so I let them go.” From Google to Krispy Kreme, every move he makes now goes through that same filter. As he told WSJ, “Whenever I do business, it’s not about the money.”
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