Katy Perry sparks debate after throwing slices of pizza into nightclub crowd

The singer joked that the viral video shows “a mother feeding her children”

Katy Perry has sparked both bewildered and amused reactions from fans after she was filmed throwing slices of pizza into a crowd during a nightclub appearance.

On Saturday, the “Roar” singer, who recently extended her Las Vegas residency, made an appearance at Zouk club in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the club, she danced to J Balvin and Skrillex’s “In da Getto” while placing slices of pizza on plates and throwing them into the crowd.

In one clip circulating on social media, Perry is seen dressed in a pink outfit, standing behind the DJ booth and throwing a pizza slice into fans’ outstretched hands -- only for the pizza to fall to the floor.

The singer didn’t seem to be aware of the pizza’s demise and smiled as she turned back to the box to remove another slice. On her next attempt, Perry chucked the pizza sans plate into the pulsating crowd, as numerous hands attempt to grasp the food but none appear successful.

“Help,” the caption on the viral video, which has since been viewed more than 6.7m times on Twitter, reads.

Perry later retweeted the video and added: “A mother feeding her children” along with an emoji of a woman holding a baby.

On social media, the singer’s pizza-throwing attempts have been met largely with confusion, with many fans questioning why Perry thought the food a good fit for a packed club.

“Why would anyone want to catch a floppy piece of pizza with the cheese separated from the bread, getting sauce all over their hands?” one person asked, while another asked: “Is this a normal club experience?”

Others found the situation entertaining, with many fans taking the opportunity to joke about the pop star’s sharing.

“I want Katy Perry to throw pizza slices at me,” one fan admitted, while another joked: “We’re seeing Katy Perry in concert on Saturday. If she DOESN’T throw pizza at us I’m asking for a refund.”

“Katy Perry throwing pizza has to be the best thing that happened to the internet this year.. and to the ones that ate it,” someone else claimed.

The stunt also prompted jokes about Perry’s new role as the face of Just Eat, with one fan tweeting the video and claiming that it showed the singer filming her Just Eat ad.

“Katy Perry just took ‘Just Eat’ to a whole other level,” someone else said.

While the majority of comments in response to the viral video were from fans amused by the singer’s behaviour, there were also many who criticised her antics as food waste.

“Not Katy Perry wasting food,” one person tweeted along with the clip, while another said: “Katy Perry throwing pizza at the crowd is not sitting well with me. I don’t care, food wastage is a pet peeve.”

“Am I the only one disturbed and kind of disgusted by the video of Katy Perry just casually throwing pizza? Like no, don’t do that?? It’s not funny, it’s not cute, it’s just a waste like why not just give the box and let people eat properly?” someone else asked.