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Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
'I've been turned into a human piñata' – Katy Perry breaks silence on space trip backlash
The all-female voyage attracted backlash for its timing and tone, with critics calling the trip 'tone deaf' given the current cost-of-living crisis. Perry, who sang What A Wonderful World during the flight and even teased her new tour setlist while in zero gravity, was singled out; with other notable names, including Emily Ratajkowski sharing their disdain. In light of the furore, some fans showed their support for the singer and crowdfunded for a digital billboard in New York's Times Square for 24 hours declaring their love for the star. A Brazilian fan account on Instagram explained fans had done it to 'remind her that she is never alone; our love for her is boundless, unwavering, and eternal'. 'We're so proud of you and your magical journey and we love you to the moon and back. 'Know that you are safe, seen and celebrated. We'll see you around the world, this is just the beginning.' Two weeks after the 11-minute space flight, which saw Perry join five other women, including Gayle King and Jeff Bezos's partner Lauren Sánchez, the singer addressed the controversy in an emotional comment to fans. 'I love you guys and have grown up together with you and am so excited to see you all over the world this year!' she wrote. Perry acknowledged the impact of the criticism but reassured fans she is staying grounded: 'Please know I am OK, I have done a lot [of] work around knowing who I am, what is real and what is important to me.' She continued: 'I'm not perfect' but rather 'a human journey, playing the game of life with an audience of many and sometimes I fall. 'But I get back up and go on and continue to play the game and somehow through my battered and bruised adventure I keep looking to the light and in that light a new level unlocks.' Adding: 'When the 'online' world tries to make me a human Piñata, I take it with grace and send them love, cause I know so many people are hurting in so many ways and the internet is very much so a dumping ground for unhinged and unhealed.' Perry responded directly, saying she was 'so grateful' and looked forward to seeing fans on her just-launched world tour, which will run through December across North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Her comment comes as Lily Allen apologised to Perry after criticising the singer's headline-making trip to space. Allen, 39, was among an initial wave of critics who slammed the mission earlier this month, which saw Perry launch into space alongside King, Sanchez, ex-NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn. 'I would actually like to apologise for being mean about Katy Perry last week,' she said. 'There was actually no need for me to bring her name into it, and it was my own internalised misogyny. 'I've been thinking about it a lot, and it was just completely unnecessary to pile on with her.'
Metro
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Lily Allen does a 180 as she apologises for 'misogynistic' Katy Perry comments
Lily Allen has firmly backtracked on her comments towards Katy Perry after the Roar hitmaker made a historic trip to space. Last week, pop star Lily, 39, was one of several celebrities criticising Katy, who was aboard a six-woman crew blasted into space as part of a Blue Origin flight. The 40-year-old sang Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World as she reached zero gravity along with CBS Mornings presenter Gayle King, former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, astronaut Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Jeff Bezos's partner Lauren Sanchez. After landing back on Earth 10 minutes and 21 seconds later, however, Katy and co. were met with immense backlash, with Smile songstress Lily branding the whole thing 'so out of touch'. Speaking on her Miss Me? podcast, which she co-hosts with pal Miquitta Oliver, Lily introduced the topic with: 'Katy Perry and her mates going up to space for 12 minutes…' Miquita responded: 'If they're going to go up to space for 12 minutes, we can talk about it for 10 seconds and that's about all it deserves.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Lily then asked incredulously: 'I mean, what the f***ing hell is that all about?' She then ranted: 'I just think it's so out of touch we're on the brink of a recession, people are really struggling to make ends meet, it just seems like things are hard at the moment.' Miquita questioned: 'Not really the most appropriate time to send Katy Perry into space?', to which Lily declared: 'For absolutely no reason! It's like we send people to space to discover things, for scientific reasons.' Mocking how the flight was 'mad into some sort of feminist thing,' it was abundantly clear what her position was… until the next podcast ep, on which Lily has done a 180. Reflecting on her earlier remarks, the LDN singer began: 'I would actually like to apologise for being mean about Katy Perry last week. 'There was actually no need for me to bring her name into it, and it was my own internalised misogyny.' Lily continued: 'I've been thinking about it a lot, and it was just completely unnecessary to pile on with her.' There's one point Lily stands strong on, though, but perhaps wishes she addressed it differently. 'I disagree with what it was that they did, but she wasn't the only person that did it. 'She was possibly the most famous and the one that divides people the most.' As mentioned, Lily was far from the only person who had an issue with the space trip, with the likes of Emily Ratajkowski declaring herself 'disgusted' at the 'parody'. '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?', the model vented to her followers. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'And then to try to make it like… I'm disgusted. Literally, I'm disgusted,' she concluded, visibly infuriated. Meanwhile, reality star Vicky Pattinson stated that the mission doesn't represent 'feminism,' claiming its aim was to 'distract' people from how women's rights are being 'slowly, almost imperceptibly, taken away.' Katy and the crew caught heat from social media too, with several moments from the day reaching viral meme status and becoming the subject of TikTok hot takes. While Katy herself described the flight as 'life-changing,' broadcaster Gayle admitted to feeling 'saddened' and 'disappointed' by the reaction, insisting: 'There was nothing frivolous about what we do.' Speaking to CBS Morning, she added: 'Space is not an either or. It's a both and, 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. 'What Blue Origin wants to do is take the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space to make our planet cleaner. Jeff Bezos has so many ideas, and the people that are working there are really devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place. That's number one.' More Trending Katy has since kickstarted her latest tour, which also hasn't gone down well. The Lifetimes tour has been mercilessly ridiculed by X users, many of whom have urged Katy to cancel her shows completely and offer people refunds due to the 'cringe' nature of her routines. Katy is performing 84 concerts, which will include eight in the UK later this year, although time will tell whether the reviews improve by then, since her choreography is currently being called 'the worst I have ever seen in my life'. Oh dear. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lily Allen apologizes for ‘mean' comments about Katy Perry's space mission, blames her internalized misogyny
Lily Allen apologized for her comments about Katy Perry and the controversial Blue Origin New Shepard space launch. On April 14, the 'Firework' artist took part in the first all-female mission to the stars in the last 60 years alongside TV show host Gayle King, journalist Lauren Sanchez (wife of Jeff Bezos), civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe. Perry performed Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' and promoted her Life Times Tour in space. When she returned to earth, she was filmed kissing the ground and told a press representative she felt 'super connected to love.' The 11-minute flight, led by Bezos' private aerospace technology company, garnered widespread criticism from various A-listers online, with many questioning the merit behind the supposedly feminist message. However, Allen, 39, doubled back on her original judgment in the most recent episode of her podcast, Miss Me?. 'I would actually like to apologize for being mean about Katy Perry last week. There was actually no need for me to bring her name into it, and it was my own internalized misogyny,' she said. 'I've been thinking about it a lot, and it was just completely unnecessary to pile on with her. 'I do disagree with what it was that they did, but she wasn't the only person that did it,' Allen continued. 'She was possibly the most famous and the one that divides people the most, and so, I don't know, there was something in me that decided to choose her as the person that should… Anyway, I just, I'm really sorry.' Allen first spoke out against the mission during the April 17 episode of her podcast. 'Do we want to talk about Katy Perry and her mates all going up to space for 12 minutes?' she said. 'I mean, what the frickin' hell was that all about? No, but in all seriousness, what? Why?' She continued: 'I just think it's so out of touch. We're on the brink of recession, people are really fucking struggling to make ends meet and get food on their table.' Allen's co-host, Miquita Oliver, added: 'And not really the most appropriate time to send Katy Perry into space.' The 'Smile' singer responded: 'For absolutely no f***ing reason! It's like… We send people to space to discover things, like scientific reason. 'And the fact that they have made it some sort of feminist thing,' she continued. The Independent has contacted Perry's representatives for comment.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is Jeff Bezos sending Katy Perry into space a good use of money? Yahoo readers overwhelmingly say it is
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers. A crew of six women, including popstar Katy Perry, launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket on Monday. The crew lifted off from West Texas at 1.31pm GMT and travelled to the edge of space, where they experienced a brief period of weightlessness before returning to Earth in a flight lasting around 11 minutes, according to a live broadcast by Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. Perry sang Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World as she and five others - presenter Gayle King, former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, astronaut Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn and Amazon billionaire owner Jeff Bezos's partner Lauren Sanchez - entered Space. The flight was hailed by some as an inspiration to girls interested in space by some, and a step forward for space travel. However, some depicted the journey as a frivolous – and expensive – jolly. Gayle King responded saying she was "disappointed" by the criticism: "There was nothing frivolous about what we do. I'm very disappointed and very saddened by it. "And I also say this — what it's doing to inspire other women and young girls?... Please don't ignore that. I've had so many women and young girls reach out to me, and men too, by the way, that say, 'Wow, I never thought I could do that, but I see you doing it at this stage of my life. "What Blue Origin wants to do is take the waste here and figure out a way to put it in space to make our planet cleaner. Jeff Bezos has so many ideas, and the people that are working there are really devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place. That's number one," she added. In our poll earlier this week, Yahoo News UK asked our readers 'Is Jeff Bezos sending Katy Perry into space a good use of money?'. It received 1,266 votes and showed the majority of Yahoo readers don't think it is, with 1,086 answering, 'no', while 120 said 'yes' – while 60 were undecided. The poll's Have Your Say feature attracted some passionate comments, with many readers focusing on how the money could be spent on more important issues. Donna I, from Northampton, said: 'It was a complete waste of time and money. How do you think families struggling to feed their children, elderly people trying to stay warm, the homeless who risk their lives living on the street? 'The money those women spent could help so many, it's disgusting, it's like a slap in the faces of those who have very little and for what, 11 minutes of glory?' Similarly Sue L, from Kent, said: 'Absolutely not! With so many important life threatening issues in the world today this is a complete and utter waste of money and immeasurable damage to the environment. 'So called 'celebrities' with too much money! Use your 'fame' and money to help cure some of the world's problems!' Use your 'fame' and money to help cure some of the world's problems! On the other hand Ernie N, from Portland, Oregon, said: 'I think it is his money to spend as he sees fit. That said, spaceflight in general could be beneficial to mankind but today's technology seems not up to the task when considering its damage to the air that sustains all life with more noxious gasses and our near earth orbit that the process is filling with debris endangering the very mission of space exploration.' David P, from Herefordshire, said: 'I really believe that many of the detractors of this adventure are simply jealous. Given the chance to fly to the edge of space is a dream for most people and if they can afford it, why not? I certainly would. 'Why not stop adventurers who want to row the Atlantic or sail around the world single handed? Not in my life I suppose but in the not too distant future we will be sending people to Mars. Should we stop humans risking their lives in the quest for knowledge?' With so many important life threatening issues in the world today this is a complete and utter waste of money and immeasurable damage to the environment. - Sue L Yahoo News UK readers were also asked: 'Out of 10, how important is the development of space tourism to you?' This poll received 1,452 votes with the most common vote being 0 and an average strength-of-feeling score of 1.16. This indicates many readers have very little interest in space tourism. For example, Have Your Say respondent John D, from York, wrote: 'That was a very expensive ten minutes to be just on the edge of space.' Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Can we stop pretending the Katy Perry-Blue Origin space trip was anything but a crass PR stunt?
Six women boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket yesterday, marking the first all-female flight since 1963. As quickly as they'd taken off, the crew landed back in Texas. On board were singer Katy Perry, TV personality Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez - while A-listers Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian were all there to watch as the rocket landed after a comically short 11 minutes. Let's address some of the talking points through three questions, which seemed to be doing the rounds. Aren't they brave? No. What a time to be alive, hey? Debatable. Do you think Katy Perry sang on board the rocket? Who gives a tiny rat's scrotum... Even if the crew all reportedly heard Perry's rendition of 'What A Wonderful World' on top of experiencing zero gravity – which sounds about as distressing as that scene in 1971's Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory when the gang are all in the boat and Gene Wilder's Wonka recites a poem while a kaleidoscopic Vietnam flashback occurs in real time. Speaking about her song choice, Perry stated: 'I think that it's not about me or singing my songs, it's about a collective energy. It's about us (and) making space for future women. It's about this wonderful world we see right out there and appreciating it.' She previously said, prior to launch: 'I think from up there, we will think 'Oh my God, we have to protect our mother.' Puh-lease. While the sentiment is noble, let's call a spade a spade: this headline-grabbing publicity stunt is nothing more than a ludicrously expensive, environmentally damaging and massively tone-deaf photo op masquerading as happy-clappy activism. Virtue signal all you want, but billions wasted on the project by a billionaire whose company is destroying the planet and thousands of CO2 emissions won't hide the fact that this is insanely out of touch to the point of parody. 'Protect our mother'? Katy, you've burned more emissions than Taylor Swift on her entire Eras Tour. At least Tay-Tay brought in millions to local economics. What did you contribute with your trip to the stars, courtesy of Bezos' Blue Origin? Nothing, apart from remind people that Bezos' company's slogan is "For the benefit of Earth" - which is the death of irony. And we're not the only ones who think so. Several celebrities have spoken out to criticise the stunt, including model and actress Emily Ratajkowski, who revealed she was 'disgusted' by the recent space flight. Ratajkowski took to social media after the mission landed and rightly questioned what good the mission did. 'That space mission this morning? That's end time shit. Like, this is beyond parody. 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?' Ratajkowski went on to ask: 'Look at the state of the world. Think about how many resources went into putting these women into space… For what? What was the marketing there?' She concluded her rant by saying how 'disgusted' she is by the whole thing. While we're fully on Team Ratajkowski here, she isn't the only celeb to have condemned the mission as wasteful and self-indulgent. Actress and director Oliva Wilde threw some deserved shade at the space flight, writing in an Instagram Story: 'Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess', and actress Olivia Munn previously criticised the mission by resuming things rather beautifully: 'What are they doing? I know this probably isn't the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now. I know this is probably obnoxious, but like, it's so much money to go to space, and there are a lot of people who can't even afford eggs.' Munn also described it as 'gluttonous', and questioned what they are 'gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here'. As you can guess, the internet did not disappoint with their reactions. One user noted how although the trip was supposed to 'inspire women', 'the women who already worked at NASA are checks notes getting fired and getting their bios removed from the site'. Another user remarked that 'if Jeff Bezos can send Katy Perry into space, he can pay a wealth tax so every American has debt-free healthcare.' If only. Here are some other favourites: Now that this pathetic spectacle is over, what's clear is that vanity flights attempting to normalize space tourism during a time of war, environmental crisis and widening wealth inequality are crass, unwarranted and boil down to a few rich and very misguided people on an ego trip. Not a space trip. Are they aware of how ridiculous they are? Doesn't seem like it. After completing the mission, Perry shared: 'This experience is second to being a mom. That's why it was hard for me to go because that's all my love right there, and I have to surrender and trust that the universe is going to take care of me and protect me and also my family and daughter.' The universe is screaming bloody murder right now, and if you want it to protect you and your family, Miss Perry, maybe don't destroy it during another PR misstep. Reality, empathy and a sense of self-awareness shouldn't escape earth's gravity.
