Wendy’s Declines to Apologize for Mocking Katy Perry’s Blue Origin Space Flight

The popular fast-food chain Wendy’s declined to apologize for mocking Katy Perry’s Blue Origin space flight, but offered the pop star what appeared to be sardonic acclaim, praising the “Teenage Dream” singer for her “out-of-this-world-talent.”

“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,” the fast-food restaurant said in a statement to PEOPLE.

The magazine had reached out to Wendy’s seemingly fishing for an apology, citing a source close to Perry who claimed, “This wasn’t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman.”

As Breitbart News reported, Wendy’s began trending on X after it asked, “Can we send her back?” in response to a social media post by Pop Crave announcing that the “Last Friday Night” singer had returned to Earth on her Blue Origin space flight.

The fast-food chain went on to make a slew of additional remarks poking fun at Perry in replies to X users who commented on its post, quipping in one: “When we said women in stem this isn’t what we meant.”

In another X post, Wendy’s wrote, “I kissed the ground and I liked it,” in a post mocking Perry for kissing the ground — after her mere 11-minute space flight — using wordplay that spoofed the singer’s 2008 song, “I Kissed a Girl.”

A source close to the pop star later told PEOPLE that Wendy’s went too far, and Perry deserves an apology.

“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 complained, adding that “what’s worse is that the face of Wendy’s is a woman.”

The source further claimed to the magazine that “Wendy’s didn’t make a joke — they made a choice,” saying the company’s “recent posts on X aimed at Katy Perry were not only disrespectful, but blatantly inappropriate.”

“This wasn’t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source continued, before insisting that Wendy’s is “not adding to the conversation” when it pokes fun at the all-female crew.

But Wendy’s wasn’t alone in its assessment, as an abundance of social media users were already mocking Perry and the rest of the all-female Blue Origin crew for what they saw as a cringeworthy stunt before the fast-food chain had chimed in.

Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.