Amanda Nguyen, the first Vietnamese woman to fly with Blue Origin earlier this year, says she experienced severe online backlash after the flight that left her depressed and bedridden for a week. She described the attention as “billions of hostile impressions” and said recovery was slow but steady. A December 27 journal entry reads, “I’m happy to report the depression has lifted,” and after eight months she reports the “fog of grief” beginning to lift as she thanks her supporters.
Amanda Nguyen Says She’s Recovering After Harsh Backlash From Blue Origin Flight
(Photo Credit: John Nacion/Getty Images)
Amanda Nguyen, who became the first Vietnamese woman to fly on a Blue Origin mission earlier this year, says she is slowly recovering after an intense wave of online hostility following her return to Earth.
Nguyen wrote on Instagram that the period after the flight was unexpectedly painful. She recalled telling Gayle during a check-in call that “my depression might last for years,” adding that what had once felt like a dream had become, at times, “another dream turned into a nightmare.” She described how the excitement and purpose surrounding the mission felt undermined “under an avalanche of misogyny.”
“It amounted to billions of hostile impressions — an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure,” Nguyen wrote, describing how the intense attention left her unable to leave the house for a week and, even a month later, unable to speak through her tears.
Nguyen shared a photo of a handwritten journal entry dated December 27 that reads, “I’m happy to report the depression has lifted.” She emphasized that recovery was gradual: over weeks and months she began to feel the weight lift. “It’s been 8 months since then, and I’m glad that the fog of grief has started to lift,” she wrote, thanking those who supported her through the ordeal.
Reflecting on past trauma, Nguyen added, “We never fully leave behind our past selves; all parts of us are valuable.” Toward the end of her message she sounded steadier and more hopeful, telling Gayle that recovery “isn’t going to take years,” a sign she feels able to make room to heal again.
Note: This account was originally reported by Ishika Mishra for Reality Tea and first appeared on Mandatory.
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