Katy Perry returned to Earth from space successfully, but Wendy didn’t shy away from throwing a jab at the singer.
Perry traveled in the Blue Origin rocket on Monday with five other women. Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, Kerianne Flynn, Amanda Nguyen, and Aisha Bowe also participated in the brief visit to space.
The trip received plenty of criticism before and after from online commenters and several celebrities.
Much of that backlash involved claims that it was an expensive trip with no significant purpose at a time when many people couldn’t afford groceries.
Additional backlash arrived due to its association with billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin.
However, according to their recent online comment, Wendy’s seemed to have beef with Perry.
Wendy’s threw several jabs at Perry on social media
Earlier this week, social media featured many photos and videos about the recent space trip and extensive coverage on CBS Mornings, where Gayle King is an anchor.
Fast-food chain Wendy’s shared a Pop Base post on X showing Katy seeming to kiss the ground upon returning to Earth from space.
“I kissed the ground and I liked it,” Wendy’s wrote with their reshare of the photos, referencing Perry’s song.
A reply focused on one of Perry’s lyrics from the same hit song, but replaced the word “Chapstick” with “starship.”
In an X comment reply, the fast-food chain’s social media team wrote, “When we said women in stem this isn’t what we meant.”
Pop Crave also shared a photo of Katy Perry in her Blue Origin NS-31 space suit.
On the front, the blue custom-designed suit featured Perry’s last name on one side and a special NS-31 patch on the other.
“Katy Perry has returned from space,” they wrote above the image on X.
The photo resulted in 84,000 likes and over 3,400 comments from various individuals. Even Wendy’s, the famous fast food chain, dropped by with some feedback about Perry’s trip.
“Can we send her back,” they wrote as a reply in the comments.
That brought them 52,000 likes and over 2,500 comments from individuals celebrating their remark or otherwise.
Katy’s team demanded an apology from Wendy’s
According to PEOPLE, a source indicated that Perry’s team felt Wendy’s social media commentary was “disrespectful” and “blatantly inappropriate” toward the singer and that she deserves an apology.
“This wasn’t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source said.
The source also told PEOPLE, “when billion-dollar brands join in, it’s irresponsible.”
“Telling a woman that she should be ‘sent back’ is shameful bullying and reflects a troubling willingness to tear down in today’s society,” the source stated, adding, “What’s worse is that the face of Wendy’s is a woman, which makes this decision not just hypocritical, but painfully ironic.”
The media outlet also contacted Wendy’s, which stated, “We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world talent.”
While the space trip for the all-women’s crew lasted only 11 minutes, it continues to receive plenty of backlash. Emily Ratajkowski and Olivia Munn were among the celebrities who publicly criticized the Blue Origin flight.
While co-hosting NBC’s Today with Jenna & Friends, Munn questioned the purpose of the space trip and called it “gluttonous” when many people are having trouble affording groceries.
Following the flight, King defended herself and her crewmates from critics, indicating she was “very disappointed and very saddened” by the criticism, and “There was nothing frivolous about it.”