Fox News Monday aired an exclusive interview with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, conducted by anchor Bill Hemmer on "America's Newsroom."
It marked their first public interview since returning to Earth on March 18, 2025, after an unexpectedly extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Originally planned as an eight-day trip starting in June 2024, their stay stretched to 286 days—over nine months—due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe for their return. Instead, they were brought back via a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
The interview, broadcast live from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, covered their experiences during the prolonged mission, the efforts to bring them home, and their reflections on becoming a global news story.
Wilmore and Williams emphasized that they never felt "stranded," "stuck," or "abandoned," pushing back against media narratives and political claims, including those from President Donald Trump, who had suggested they were neglected by the Biden administration. Wilmore noted, “In the big scheme of things, we weren’t stuck,” and admitted shared responsibility for the situation, saying, “I’m culpable—I’ll admit that to the nation. There’s things I did not ask that I should have asked.” Williams added that she wouldn’t call Boeing’s issues a failure, framing spaceflight as inherently challenging: “Space flight is hard. It’s really hard.”
WATCH: Astronaut stranded in space for 9 months tells Fox News’ @BillHemmer he's “grateful” for President Trump and Elon Musk’s support: “They have earned my trust.” pic.twitter.com/tEGYBoFssh
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) March 31, 2025
They expressed gratitude to Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for facilitating their return, with Wilmore stating, “They have earned my trust.” The astronauts also highlighted their preparedness for such contingencies, a sentiment they’d previously shared in a February CNN interview with Anderson Cooper. Williams spoke positively about life in space, enjoying scientific experiments and the ISS environment, while Wilmore focused on the mission’s broader purpose over personal feelings.
Fox News’ @greggutfeld calls out liberal media for their lack of coverage of the rescued NASA astronauts: “Didn’t fit their anti-Trump playbook.” pic.twitter.com/dMAeTu0JiN
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) March 31, 2025
The interview drew attention amid political debates, with Fox News reportedly attempting to elicit criticism of the Biden administration, which the astronauts deflected. Their safe return had been a high-profile event, watched by 5.3 million viewers on Fox News during "Special Report with Bret Baier" on March 18, outpacing other networks.
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