Katy Perry has been slammed for her emotional reaction after her 11-minute round trip to space.
On 14 April, Blue Origin's all-female spaceflight launched from West Texas and lasted a total of 11 minutes.
The onboard crew involved six high-profile passengers: Pop star Katy Perry, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, research scientist Amanda Nguyễn, journalist Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The trip was very brief but clearly left a big impact on those involved. For example, despite looking visibly 'miserable' before the flight, King said the experience was 'really quiet and peaceful' and that she ‘still can’t accept’ the fact that she's now an astronaut.
But, while the event made history as the first all-women space crew since 1963, the flight wasn't received so well by observing audiences.
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On the flip side, the trip received major backlash on social media. Celebrities like Olivia Munn called out Blue Origin ahead of the trip, questioning the necessity of the trip and calling it 'gluttonous.' Others critics online classed the trip as nothing but a 'celebrity joyride.'
Now, Perry has found herself in the crosshairs after critics pushed back on her dramatic return to Earth. After stepping off the rocket, the 40-year-old singer lifted a daisy to the sky, dropped to her knees and kissed the ground.
Some users claim that the gesture was 'cringe', especially following the recent return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore had been stranded on the ISS for over nine months. The pair were only supposed to be on an eight-day mission, but due to technical errors with their Boeing craft, they were up there much longer, missing out on time with their families and seasonal holidays.
On 18 March, the two astronauts safely returned to Earth with a remarkable ocean welcome. Some called the 'Firework' singer's actions an 'insult' to the 'two astronauts that were left trapped during the last administration."
One user commented on X: "Imagine being one of the astronauts that were stuck in space for 9 months and then watching Katy Perry kiss the ground after 10 minutes."
Another argued: "Katy Perry kissing the ground after a few minutes in space is so over the top and cringe. I’m just imagining what Butch and Suni thought when they saw this."
However, fans of Perry justified her reactions, as one pointed out: "Y’all hate to see a woman succeed and be happy. Stay mad."
Another replied: "I'ma be honest I totally get why Katy parry [sic] was kissing the ground after coming back from space I would be too tf."
Elsewhere, other celebrities have also clapped back at online critics. King later denied the space trip as being 'frivolous.' However, this didn't do her many favours as viewers saw her rhetorical response reflecting how 'out of touch' she is with everything going on in the world right now.