Tony Dokoupil offered an apology to Buzz Aldrin on the Friday, October 31, episode of CBS Mornings after incorrectly stating that the astronaut is dead.
The mistake occurred during a conversation about Kim Kardashian‘s recent comments about the 1969 moon landing. On the Thursday, October 30, episode of The Kardashians, Kardashian claimed that in his old age, Aldrin, 95, had accidentally revealed that the moon landing was fake.
Although the moon landing has been proven to have occurred in the decades since the memorable space mission, Dokoupil’s co-host Nate Burleson played into the speculation. “NASA has said in the past it’s too expensive or the hype has died down or priorities have shifted for the U.S. in our plans to go to the moon,” he said during the Friday on-air discussion, per People. “But yet and still, we haven’t been back. Now, I’m not saying she’s right. I’m just saying, her curiosities are fair.”
In response, Dokoupil said, “Nate, it is Halloween. Buzz Aldrin’s skeletal bones are going to come out of the ground and punch you in the face.” Realizing he may have made an error, Dokoupil asked the show’s producers, “I want to make sure Buzz Aldrin is actually dead. I kind of lost track of it. Please tell me right now if it’s not, because I want to clear this up.”
While awaiting clarification, Dokoupil pointed out that Aldrin has punched moon landing conspiracy theorists in the past before insisting that the landing was real.
Michele Crowe/CBS
“We were highly motivated. We were in a race with the Soviet Union who we thought was going to go up there and drop nuclear weapons on our heads. We were afraid for our lives and we spent a huge portion of our national wealth on this,” he stated. “It’s like every student was trying to be the best scientist to work on the problem. Yes, it happened. And then we were like, ‘All right, we did it’ and we took a break. And we haven’t been back.”
At the end of the conversation, Burleson confirmed to Dokoupil that Aldrin is still alive. “Buzz, come on the show. We love you. Punch me in the face, actually. Punch both of us!” Dokoupil quipped, adding, “Buzz Aldrin, my apologies. I think Kim Kardashian owes you an apology as well.”
While Aldrin, himself, has not passed away, the astronaut’s wife, Anca Faur, died this week at the age of 66. “Dr. Anca Aldrin, wife of astronaut Buzz Aldrin, peacefully passed away last night with her husband and her son, Vlad Ghenciu by her side,” read a Wednesday, October 29, statement shared on Aldrin’s Facebook. “Mrs. Aldrin, an accomplished chemical engineer with a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, served as the treasurer for the California Hydrogen Business Council and as Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC.”
In a statement of his own, Aldrin said, “I am so fortunate to have found and married the love of my life. She brought joy to everything we did together. I will miss her dearly.”
Dokoupil’s on-air flub comes amid changes at the CBS morning show. News broke on Wednesday that CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Mornings Plus, and CBS Evening News Plus had been canceled by the network’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
One day later, Variety reported that Dokoupil’s fellow CBS Mornings host Gayle King is expected to depart the series when her contract expires in May 2026. The network denied the claims in a statement to the outlet, writing, “There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026. She’s a truly valued part of CBS, and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”
CBS Mornings, Weekdays, 7a/6c, CBS
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