Kesha throws subtle yet ‘iconic’ jab at enemy Katy Perry after Firework singer bashed for Blue Origin space flight
KESHA has thrown a subtle yet ‘iconic’ jab at her enemy Katy Perry after she was bashed for her Blue Origin space flight.
Singer Kesha, 38, posted a photo of herself enjoying a Wendy’s milkshake with a sly smile, just hours after the fast food chain’s X account publicly ridiculed Katy’s 11-minute stunt.
Her subtle jab came amid growing online criticism of the all-female flight, which saw Katy, 40, launch into space alongside Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn.
The mission, hosted by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, lasted just over 11 minutes.
Wendy’s ignited the backlash with a blunt comment on a Pop Crave post captioned, “Katy Perry has returned from space.”
The burger chain responded, “Can we send her back.”
They continued the trolling by reposting an image of Perry kissing the ground post-flight, writing, “I kissed the ground and I liked it” – a play on her 2008 hit, I Kissed a Girl.
Wendy’s replies didn’t stop there.
When one user noted Katy was only in space for ten minutes, the brand corrected them: “Don’t short change her it was 11 minutes.”
Another user joked, “The taste of her cherry starship…” prompting the chain to quip, “When we said women in STEM this isn’t what we meant.”
Kesha’s involvement added a new layer to the drama, especially given her complicated history with Katy’s recent collaborator, Dr. Luke.
The TiK ToK songstress previously accused the music producer of sexual and physical abuse – claims he denied.
Their long-running legal battle ended in a settlement in 2023.
Katy, however, worked with Dr. Luke on her 2024 comeback album 143, a decision that attracted controversy.
They had previously collaborated on California Gurls and Roar.
After news of the pair’s renewed collaboration emerged, Kesha tweeted: “lol.”
Following Monday’s brief expedition, Katy led post-flight celebrations, kneeling and kissing the ground in Texas alongside her crewmates.
She also carried a daisy into space in honour of her daughter Daisy, saying in a post-flight interview: “I have so much love for my daughter, Daisy.”
Yet backlash to the trip has only grown, with model Emily Ratajkowski calling it “end time s**t” and saying she was “disgusted” by the mission.
“That space mission this morning? That’s end time s**t. Like, this is beyond parody,”
She said in a TikTok video: “That space mission this morning? That’s end time s**t. Like, this is beyond parody,” criticizing its environmental cost.
Emily added: “That you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s singlehandedly destroying the planet?
“Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what? What was the marketing there?
“And then to try to make it like… I’m disgusted, literally I’m disgusted.”
Emily was far from the only celebrity criticizing the space mission, as both Olivia Wilde and Olivia Munn also expressed their disapproval.
After returning safely to Texas, Katy was pictured kissing the ground, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
Olivia shared the image on her Instagram Stories, commenting, “Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess.”
Earlier this month, Olivia slammed the space mission ahead of its launch during an appearance on Today With Jenna And Friends.
“What are they doing? Like why? You know what I mean?” she questioned.
“I know that this is probably not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now.”
Olivia continued, “What are you going to do up in space? What are you doing up there?”
She compared the mission to a Disneyland ride, expressing frustration over why the participants felt the need to “tell” everyone about it instead of simply going, enjoying the experience, and returning quietly.
“I know that this is probably obnoxious – but like, it’s so much money to go to space. You know, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford eggs,” she added.
Host Jenna Bush Hager then informed Olivia that the all-female crew would be going to space “in glam,” a detail that left the actress visibly confused.
“They are getting their hair done, their makeup done, even eyelash extensions,” Jenna explained.
Olivia was left speechless and asked, “They said this out loud?”
The actress shook her head in disbelief, while Jenna humorously added, “Yeah, and a lot of eyelash glue to nail that baby down. That’s what I can’t stop thinking about.”
Blue Origin’s Flight NS-31 was historic as it marked the first launch with an all-female crew since Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo space flight in 1963.
After the crew’s successful landing, many celebrities took to social media to criticize the journey.
Gayle and Lauren, however, did not shy away from defending their decision to be part of Blue Origin’s pioneering all-female flight.
Hours after their return, the duo addressed the backlash, particularly Olivia’s comment labeling the trip “gluttonous”.
Gayle told People that critics “don’t really understand what is happening here”.
“We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women, from young girls about what this represents,” the TV anchor said in support of the mission.
Meanwhile, Lauren expressed that the judgment makes her “really fired up”.
“I would love to have them come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees that don’t just work here but they put their heart and soul into this vehicle,” she said.