A singer hopeful had his first kiss with none other than Katy Perry at the premiere of the rebooted American Idol on ABC.
On Sunday, March 11, episode of the popular singing competition, Benjamin Glaze, a 19-year-old cashier from Oklahoma, disclosed to the judges that he has never kissed a girl. Before his performance, Perry asked him to come over and kiss her on the cheek.
No one expected that, when he leaned in to kiss the "Swish, Swish" singer on the cheek, Perry would turn her head so his lips would land on hers. Glaze's first kiss happened on national television, with cameras pointed at his face and with a famous pop star. It was an experience that many would kill for.
At the time of the auditions, the contestant was left astounded. He told the cameras that the kiss was "eye-opening." However, in an interview with The New York Times, the singer hopeful said that the kiss was unwanted and made him feel uncomfortable.
An Unwanted Kiss
"I was a tad bit uncomfortable," Glaze told the publication during a phone conversation. "I wanted to save it for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special."
He added that if Perry asked him to kiss her on the lips, he would have said no.
"I know a lot of guys would be like, 'Heck yeah!' But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately," he explained. "I wanted my first kiss to be special."
After thinking things through, he was, however, thankful that it happened. The kiss has allowed him more screen time, allowing his music to get more exposure and maybe find an audience. In addition, his friends assured him that it really did not count, and he still is yet to have a first kiss hopefully with a woman he cares about.
Was It Sexual Assault?
At a time when many men and women are coming out and telling their stories of sexual assault, Perry's little prank was badly misplaced. Many called out the "I Kissed A Girl" singer for kissing Glaze without his consent and said the act was blatant sexual harassment especially because she was in a position of power.
At the height of the #metoo movement, Katy Perry was in a position of power as an @AmericanIdol judge and kissed a contestant without consent. This was NOT okay. https://t.co/ZPzAp4KBVP — natalee olsen (@natarii_) March 13, 2018
Video is even worse. Lionel Richie and Katy Perry both repeatedly telling him he should feel honored and her hypothesizing that his audition was off b/c he was so hot and bothered, not b/c he was just assaulted & trying to be a good sport. https://t.co/LNBoLRd38x — Susan Kruth (@susankruth) March 15, 2018
In a recent post, the eliminated contestant clarified his statement and defended the 33-year-old judge from accusers. He said that, despite the controversy surrounding his audition, he is still very grateful to the show.
"I am not complaining about the kiss," he wrote on Instagram. "I am very honored and thankful to have been a part of American Idol ... I do not think I was sexually harassed by Katy Perry and I am thankful for the judges comments and critiques. I was uncomfortable in a sense of how I have never been kissed before and was not expecting it."
Perry has not responded to the kiss nor the sexual harassment accusations she has been receiving online, but she recently posted a GIF on her social media referencing the controversy.
#BenjaminGlaze #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/0XbA18LmRr — KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 12, 2018
American Idol airs every Sunday and Monday night, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
