--- title: "Sketchy Pyramid Scheme Video Emerges of Former Astronaut Being Considered for VP" description: "Buying In One of the top contenders for Kamala Harris' running mate is a former NASA astronaut who also, as a newly-resurfaced video shows, used to hawk sketchy nutritional supplements. As Washington Post columnist Jim Geraghty notes in an editorial about the debacle, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's involvement in the international multi-level marketing scheme may […]" date: "2024-07-31" modified: "2024-07-31" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mark-kelly-supplement-mlm-vp" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "kamala harris" - "politics" - "supplements" - "the digest" --- # Sketchy Pyramid Scheme Video Emerges of Former Astronaut Being Considered for VP ![Mark Kelly is a senator and an ex-astronaut — and he also used to hawk sketchy supplement pyramid schemes, a resurfaced video shows.]() *\Image: Kent Nishimura via Getty / Futurism\* ## Buying In One of the top contenders for Kamala Harris' running mate is a [former NASA astronaut]() — who unfortunately, as a newly-resurfaced video shows, used to hawk sketchy nutritional supplements. As [*Washington Post* columnist Jim Geraghty notes]() in an editorial about the debacle, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's involvement in the international multi-level marketing scheme may not entirely disqualify him, but it certainly casts his otherwise clean record in a different light. In the 2016 video, the former astronaut is seen riding up on a motorcycle and singing the praises of Shaklee, a vitamin and supplement pyramid scheme similar to Herbalife and others like it that promote not only the murky health benefits of their offerings, but big financial rewards for those who buy in, too. "I took Shaklee vitamins and the Shaklee rehydration drink while in orbit aboard the space shuttle!" Kelly declared, fists pumping, during the recorded promo — which as [*HuffPost* noted in 2019]() was one of three he gave on behalf of the more than 100-year-old MLM based in California, though the speech in question was given in China. "They worked very well for me in a very demanding environment." "Now, it is up to you. It is up to all of you to take those tools that Shaklee and \[CEO Roger Barnett\] have given you, and turn it into something big!" Kelly continued. "Each and every one of you can create your own successful Shaklee business, and it is the rewards from that business that will help you achieve your own dreams!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIJwaVEwIac ## Ballooning Chances Despite the big promises of these sorts of declarations, MLMs like Shaklee rarely end up making regular people any money. In fact, a [2011 study from the Consumer Awareness Institute]() found that a whopping 99 percent of people who get involved in these pyramid schemes end up losing money on them — likely because they're required to purchase products upfront and sell them at a markup. This isn't Kelly's first rodeo with weird business choices, either. Back in 2012, the ex-astronaut cofounded World View Enterprises, a high-altitude balloon company that has, as [*Axios* noted in a report last year](), taken several investments from China's Tencent corporation. That company and [Kelly's ties to it]() came under scrutiny after so-called "spy balloons" [kept getting spotted]() in US airspace, and once the Arizona senator's name was thrown into the ring for Harris' VP pick, [discussion of it was again re-circulated](). With both these strange extracurriculars pertaining to China, Kelly's otherwise excellent bona fides may have dimmed — especially given the uber-competitive space race being [pushed by the current head of NASA](). **More on sketchy updates:** [*Beloved Local Newspapers Fired Staffers, Then Started Running AI Slop*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()