Jeff Bezos Invited Tom Hanks On Space Flight

Jeff Bezos didn’t spend time as the world’s richest man by giving away free rides to space. The Amazon founder is apparently charging celebrity guests aboard his Blue Origin rocket $28 million. That’s far worse than the expenses associated with a wedding invite or a shared vacation.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 65-year-old actor was asked if Bezos had offered Hanks to take a space flight. Hanks noted that Bezos wanted the huge sum of money for the privilege and made light of the whole thing with Jimmy.

“You know, it cost 28 million bucks or something like that,” the actor said. “And I’m doing good, Jimmy, I’m doing good. But I ain’t paying 28 [million] bucks. You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right now. It’s about a 12-minute flight, is that about it? We could all do it in our seats right here.”

The Apollo 13 star then playfully shook his chair to wrap up his humorous space simulation. The audience roared with delight. Tom Hanks again has proved why he’s considered one of Hollywood’s most likeable personalities.

Star Trek alum William Shatner recently made history as the oldest person ever to take a space flight. The trip also occurred on one of Bezo’s rockets. Critics accused Shatner of the flight being a literal ego trip. That sounds more believable now that we know what it costs to get aboard.

Jeff Bezos is currently in a space race with fellow billionaire Elon Musk. They have also had a back-and-forth contest for the spot of world’s richest person. While the ultra-wealthy take leisure trips to outer space, the rest of us are scraping together dimes for gas money and watching them gleefully. You can check out Tom Hanks’ full appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live below.

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