Katy Perry forced to cancel shows in Mexico amid pop star's global Lifetimes Tour following backlash over Blue Origin space flight
Pop star Katy Perry has been forced to cancel two upcoming shows in Mexico amid backlash over her Blue Origin space flight.
Perry, 40, took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce her shows in the western Mexico city of Guadalajara on May 1 and 2, which formed part of her global Lifetimes Tour, had been cancelled due to incomplete construction at the host stadium.
"Sadly, I learned that the construction of Arena Guadalajara will not be complete for their scheduled shows next week, which includes mine on May 1 and 2," she said.
"Last week, I sent my team to the Arena to make sure there wasn't anything we could do to make this happen, but it was evident when they arrived that the venue was not ready or safe to receive my show or an audience.
"I wish I could fix this, but it is beyond my control. You guys mean the world to me, and we have all been on such a beautiful journey together that I will be thinking about how I can create something special for the fans in Guadalajara in the future.
"I love you ALL."
On Tuesday, venue operator Zignia Live also announced shows by singer Carlos Rivera and the band Intocable were cancelled on April 25 and 26, respectively, due to circumstances "out of the control of the artists".
"And we deeply appreciate your support and understanding,' Zignia Live said in a statement.
The setback comes as Perry kicked off her Lifetimes Tour in Mexico City on Wednesday before the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker is due to perform in Australian cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth in June.
She safely returned to Earth last week after reaching space aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin New Shepard rocket.
For the first time since 1963, the all-female flight crew included Bezos's fiancee Lauren Sánchez, CBS broadcaster Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, activist Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn.
Perry said their 11-minute mission was for "the benefit of Earth" and kissed the planet's ground when she exited the craft after landing.
However, research revealed the Blue Origin rocket launch released greenhouse gases, which "altered the stratosphere".
Despite the aerospace company's claim the "only byproduct of New Shepard's engine combustion is water vapour with no carbon emissions" during flight, University College London's Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality professor Eloise Marais said water vapour is a greenhouse gas that depletes the "ozone layer, and also forms clouds that affect climate".
The research coincided with Perry's resurfaced UNICEF weather report in 2015 on the effects of climate change "hurting children around the world."
Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski said she was "literally disgusted" Perry's space travel had effectively undermined the pop star's own cause.
"This is beyond parody. Saying that you care about Mother Earth, and you're going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that's single-handedly destroying the planet," Ratajkowski said on TikTok.
Actress Olivia Munn also criticised the expedition on the Today show earlier this month, saying it costs "so much money to go to space."
"There's a lot of people who can't even afford eggs...I think it's a bit gluttonous," Munn said.
"Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind.
"What are they going to do up there that has made it better for us down here?"
Podcast host Joe Rogan also mocked Perry for bringing a daisy to space with her in a tribute to her daughter Daisy, which she flashed to the cameras as the crew floated around the capsule.
'She brought a daisy, which is super important. It shows you how quick the flight was,' Rogan said in an episode of his podcast earlier this month.
'The dead daisy that's like snipped from its life source was still alive or still vibrant.'
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The 37-year-old was considered the frontrunner to claim the Tony for her astonishing performance inhabiting 26 characters, but admitted on Sunday her surroundings were daunting. "This is an intimidating room full of incredibly talented people," she said. She paid tribute to the show's Australian writer and director Kip Williams, who was also nominated, and thanked her husband Dave Lawson. "An exceptional thank you to my husband, my soulmate," she said. "You are so brilliant holding the fort down and keeping our family together." The Sydney Theatre Company production was nominated for a total of six awards, with Marg Horwell winning best costume design of a play, following her Olivier Award. The big musical winner of the night was Maybe Happy Ending, a sweet and futuristic story that follows two obsolete helper robots as they navigate isolation, affection and what it means to be human. The show won three big awards including best musical. 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Host Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked film star, opened the show with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in Sunset Blvd. Cole Escola won the Tony for best lead actor in a play for his creation Oh, Mary! The show, Escola's reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationship with husband Abraham Lincoln, blends historical satire with absurd camp. The show also earned Sam Pinkleton the Tony for best director of a play. Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for Yellow Face. He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: "This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big." Kara Young, who was nominated for a Tony in the role of featured actress in a play four years in a row, won for the second year in a row for her role in the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose. Natalie Venetia Belcon won the award for best featured actress in a musical for her role as Cuban singer Omara Portuondo in Buena Vista Social Club. Jak Malone won the award for best featured actor in a musical for Operation Mincemeat, a fast-paced World War Two spy farce based on a bizarre true British plot to trick the Nazis with a dead body. Best revival of a play went to Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day, a sharp comedy about well-meaning parents at a progressive school whose unity cracks open over a vaccine debate. Four-time Tony-winning actor and writer Harvey Fierstein received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatres. "I dedicate this award to the people in the dark," he said. with AP and AAP Succession star Sarah Snook has won a Tony Award for best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Snook made her Broadway debut in the production and the Tony is the second major accolade she has won for the show after picking up an Olivier Award in London in 2024. "This means so much for a little Australian girl to be here on Broadway," Snook said as she accepted the award at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Sunday (Monday AEST). "I don't feel alone any night that I do this show," Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. "There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work." Snook came to international attention for playing Shiv Roy in the TV series Succession, for which she won an Emmy. 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Darren Criss won his first Tony for best leading actor in a musical for his role as the innocent Oliver, and its director Michael Arden won the award for best director of a musical. The modern reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic Sunset Blvd also won big, taking awards for best revival of a musical and for Nicole Scherzinger, who stars as the faded movie star Norma Desmond, won best actress in a musical. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose won the best play award. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play follows a family whose carefully constructed legacy unravels when their youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest, exposing buried secrets and faith-based conflict. Host Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked film star, opened the show with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in Sunset Blvd. Cole Escola won the Tony for best lead actor in a play for his creation Oh, Mary! The show, Escola's reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationship with husband Abraham Lincoln, blends historical satire with absurd camp. The show also earned Sam Pinkleton the Tony for best director of a play. Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for Yellow Face. He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: "This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big." 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"I dedicate this award to the people in the dark," he said. with AP and AAP Succession star Sarah Snook has won a Tony Award for best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Snook made her Broadway debut in the production and the Tony is the second major accolade she has won for the show after picking up an Olivier Award in London in 2024. "This means so much for a little Australian girl to be here on Broadway," Snook said as she accepted the award at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Sunday (Monday AEST). "I don't feel alone any night that I do this show," Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. "There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work." Snook came to international attention for playing Shiv Roy in the TV series Succession, for which she won an Emmy. 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Host Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked film star, opened the show with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in Sunset Blvd. Cole Escola won the Tony for best lead actor in a play for his creation Oh, Mary! The show, Escola's reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationship with husband Abraham Lincoln, blends historical satire with absurd camp. The show also earned Sam Pinkleton the Tony for best director of a play. Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for Yellow Face. He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: "This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big." Kara Young, who was nominated for a Tony in the role of featured actress in a play four years in a row, won for the second year in a row for her role in the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose. Natalie Venetia Belcon won the award for best featured actress in a musical for her role as Cuban singer Omara Portuondo in Buena Vista Social Club. Jak Malone won the award for best featured actor in a musical for Operation Mincemeat, a fast-paced World War Two spy farce based on a bizarre true British plot to trick the Nazis with a dead body. Best revival of a play went to Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day, a sharp comedy about well-meaning parents at a progressive school whose unity cracks open over a vaccine debate. Four-time Tony-winning actor and writer Harvey Fierstein received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatres. "I dedicate this award to the people in the dark," he said. with AP and AAP
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Magda Szubanski, who has revealed she is battling an aggressive cancer, made "Shazza" an all-time great Australian TV comedy character. Healy did it justice, complete with neck brace and a suitably stunned expression as she walked out for her slide. Former Australian captain Mark Taylor, the last slider, dressed as Shane Warne - Shazza's crush. The slide, fittingly, was set up in the shadow of the Shane Warne stand. Actor Matt Nable came as Angus Young from AC-DC and remembered his brother Aaron, who died of MND last year. Cadel Evans, the only Australian to win the Tour de France, was a miniature Max Gawn and the Melbourne captain greeted him after his slide. Gawn, who stands at 2.08m, is also an avid cyclist and Evans, all 174cm of him, is one of his idols. "Your worst day on the bike is better than my best day on a footy field," Evans told Gawn. Swimming great Ariarne Titmus was Sandy from Grease, played by Olivia Newton-John, and as the song from the movie goes, chills were multiplying in the ice bath. Former Melbourne star Aaron Davey honoured AFL and Indigenous great Michael Long, while TV presenter and former sprinter Matt Shirvington was Chris Hemsworth's movie character Thor. A $10,000 bet was made that Shirvington would stay in his costume for the flight back to Sydney. Peter Daicos, whose sons Nick and Josh were playing for the Magpies on Monday, always loves the limelight and he came as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker. National netball captain Liz Watson was in all pink as Margot Robbie's Cowgirl Barbie and motor sport great Craig Lowndes was in all black as Mad Max.
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