Wendy's has addressed the buzz surrounding its controversial Wendy's X posts regarding Katy Perry's extraordinary journey into the cosmos. The singer of the hit song "Firework" was part of an all-female crew aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft that soared above Earth for approximately 11 minutes on Monday, April 14th. She was accompanied by Gayle King, the host of CBS Mornings, and Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin.
In response to a Pop Crave post stating, "Katy Perry has returned from space," Wendy's official Wendy's X Twitter account tweeted playfully, "Can we send her back?" The fast-food chain's social media presence continued to tease Perry's ascent into space, commenting on a photo of Perry kissing the ground upon her return to Earth and exit from the spacecraft with the quip, "I kissed the ground and I liked it," a clever nod to Perry's famous song "I Kissed a Girl."
In a statement to People on Thursday, April 17th, Wendy's clarified that despite its spicy social media banter, the chain holds no ill will towards Perry, who is 40 years old. "We always add a touch of spice to our social media posts, but Wendy's has immense respect for Katy Perry and her extraordinary talent that transcends this world," Wendy's said.
The spaceflight on Monday was met with criticism from numerous celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski and Olivia Wilde, who questioned the exorbitant cost of the journey amid a cost-of-living crisis in the United States and its environmental impact. However, King, who is 70 years old, came to the defense of the spaceflight in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"This is what I would say in response to that criticism: space is not an either/or proposition, but a both/and endeavor. Engaging in activities in space does not detract from our efforts on Earth, and what we do in space is aimed at making things better here," she explained. "Blue Origin aims to take waste from Earth and find a way to dispose of it in space, thereby making our planet cleaner. Jeff Bezos has countless innovative ideas, and the individuals working there are deeply committed to making our planet a better place."
King further added, "Have you been to space? If you have and you still feel that way after returning, please let's engage in a dialogue." "I am very disappointed and saddened by the criticism," King said, noting that she had received messages from women and girls who had been inspired by the all-female space crew.
Perry, King, and Sánchez were joined on the spaceflight by filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe. They made history as the first all-female crew aboard a spaceflight since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo trip in 1963.
