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Statement from Christina Korp Regarding Wall Street Journal Article on Buzz Aldrin

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
June 25, 2018

“After the article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, I must respond. I have tried to stay out of the fray so as not to create any mixed signals while the Aldrin family and I try to protect and maintain Buzz Aldrin’s reputation, legacy and ability to sustain himself in the future in this difficult situation. However, I cannot stand by while there are unwarranted personal attacks on my integrity, honesty, professionalism and character. I am being unfairly defamed by the managers of the newly formed Buzz Aldrin Ventures and its legal counsel. I encourage those that know me to research the background of these individuals. I also encourage media to be careful what they write and make sure the facts are correct. There are too many inaccuracies in the public arena at the moment to respond on an individual basis. Please know that I am devastated by these lies and shocked that reputable publications like the Journal would run a story like the one just published without fairly seeking both sides of the story. With legal action now pending, I hope you understand my need to be cautious. This same level of caution is not being followed by the people currently surrounding Buzz who are sharing misinformation and unfounded accusations about me and the Aldrin family. I intend to continue to take the professional route.
Unfortunately, almost a year ago, some people began to exert undue influence on Buzz. These individuals began to actively try to drive a wedge between Buzz and his children, and me, for what I fear is their own benefit. As many people have noted, there is a different tone with Buzz’s Twitter account due to these individuals taking over control of that account. New companies were very recently started by this new team, under the guise of benefitting Buzz.

To provide some context to my relationship with Buzz and the various business entities in place to protect him, I worked for Buzz at his previous company StarBuzz beginning in 2008 and for 3 and a half years until June 2011. At that point, my role grew unexpectedly when my daughter was one week old, and Buzz began divorce proceedings. I helped Buzz pick up his life, and helped establish his new company, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises–all while trying to be the best mother possible to my newborn daughter. Buzz’s mission to encourage space exploration became mine. Buzz became such part of my family that he referred to my children as his “mascots”; my son bears Buzz’s name as my dedication to Dr. Aldrin’s legacy. I have always recognized how important Buzz is to the world and have steadfastly served his interests and promoted his vision of space exploration to the best of my ability. Buzz Aldrin is important to the world, but he is also important to me and my family, which is why the false allegations being made against are me are so very hurtful.
I have never acted on Buzz’s behalf without his full knowledge, support, and cooperation. I worked closely with his children Andy Aldrin and Jan Aldrin and our staff to ensure that all actions taken on Buzz’s behalf were honorable and respectful. I have had to be the gate keeper to many people who have tried to take advantage of Buzz’s good nature and insert themselves into his life for their own benefit. This in and of itself is a difficult job for someone so world famous, but I’ve tried my best for 10 years.
It is my deepest hope that Buzz, his children, and I will be able to work through some of these issues without a public spectacle. My mission has always been to serve Buzz’s mission, the Foundation’s mission, and the legacy of Buzz Aldrin through positive work. While I am a very active on social media, something like Buzz’s competency is best handled through our justice system. I hope you understand that I will not engage in retaliatory mudslinging. For now, this is the extent of the statement I will make, and any further inquiries should be directed to Jeff Carr.”
Christina Korp
June 25, 2018

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

5 responses to “Statement from Christina Korp Regarding Wall Street Journal Article on Buzz Aldrin”

  1. Jeff2Space says:
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    This whole mess is bizarre.

    • Michael Spencer says:
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      It is. But those salaries being paid, as reported by WSJ, seem a bit large.

      And this: Florida has very strong and specific legal language to protect seniors, including a cabinet-level department. Let us hope this works to is best interest.

    • Todd Austin says:
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      It is definitely sad. This can’t be easy for Col. Aldrin or his family. I hope the testing scheduled for him later this week gives some clarity, though I would not be surprised to see any of the parties demand a second opinion if the outcome is not what they expect. I hope they can stabilize his finances quickly to protect his assets as this sorts out.

    • DeaconG says:
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      It’s bizarre, but not unusual…look what’s been happening to Stan Lee over the last few months.

  2. Bob Mahoney says:
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    The problem of everybody, eventually, writ large by fame and fortune. Quite unpleasant to see.