Burgers aren’t the only beef Wendy’s is serving.
A source close to Katy Perry told People magazine Thursday that the fast food restaurant chain went too far with comments they made on the pop star’s trip to space—and that she deserved an apology.
“Wendy’s didn’t make a joke — they made a choice. Their recent posts on X aimed at Katy Perry were not only disrespectful, but blatantly inappropriate,” a source “close to the situation” told People.
Earlier this week, Perry joined Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyn, and Kerianne Flynn on the first all-female flight to space, facilitated by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin.
When the crew returned back to Earth after their 11-minute orbit in space, Wendy’s took a series of pointed jabs at the singer on their official X account, writing in one post: “Can we send her back?”
The restaurant chain later quipped in a separate post, “when we said women in stem this isn’t what we meant.”
“This wasn’t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source told People, arguing that “when billion-dollar brands join in, it’s irresponsible.”
“[Wendy’s is] not adding to the conversation, they’re dragging it down and this kind of behavior contributes to a culture where women are punished for standing out or a woman daring to do something different is a target,” the source continued.
“Telling a woman that she should be ‘sent back’ is shameful bullying and reflects a troubling willingness to tear down in today’s society … What’s worse is that the face of Wendy’s is a woman, which makes this decision not just hypocritical, but painfully ironic,” they added.
“Everyone expected more from a brand with this kind of platform. Wendy’s should ‘do the right thing’ (the name of one of their core values) apologize and do better in the future.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Wendy’s said that they “always bring a little spice to our socials,” and clarified that they have a “ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world-talent.”
Perry’s representatives did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Blue Origin’s trip has spurred a divisive reaction online, with some celebrating its historical nature and others slamming it as out of touch.
King defended the trip on a segment of CBS Mornings Tuesday, declaring: “Space is not an either or, it’s a both. And because you do something in space doesn’t mean you’re taking anything away from Earth. And what you’re doing in space is trying to make things better here on Earth.”
“There was nothing frivolous about what we do,” King continued. “So, you know, I’m very disappointed and very saddened by it [the criticism]. And I also say this — what it’s doing to inspire other women and young girls? Please don’t ignore that.”
