'Idol' Teen Slams Katy Perry’s Kiss, Wanted First Time To Be ‘Special'
March 14 2018, Updated 6:45 p.m. ET
Katie Perry shocked fans when she kissed a teen contestant on the lips during an American Idol audition, but now 20-year-old Benjamin Glaze reveals he felt very "uncomfortable" by the gesture.
Glaze, who had had never been kissed before, told the New York Times his first kiss was a rite of passage and was saving it for his first relationship.
“I was a tad bit uncomfortable,” he said. “I wanted to save it for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special.”
“Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” he said. “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. I wanted my first kiss to be special.”
After getting booted off the show after his first performance, he returned home to Enid, Okla. and confided in friends. “They agreed with me that it didn’t really count,” he said. “It was lip contact versus a romantic situation with someone you care about. That’s what a real first kiss is.”
As fans know, during his audition, Glaze revealed to the three judges – Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Perry that he had never kissed anyone.
Perry then demanded Glaze "come here," and after letting him kiss her on her cheek, the pop princess “tricks” him and kisses on his mouth.
In the wake of sexual conduct in the workplace and entertainment industry, Perry's bold move was not sitting well with viewers.
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“It was a forced sexual act,” one viewer posted in reply to American Idol’s tweet: “Imagine if this was from a male judge. Has @katyperry not taken anything from the #metoo movement?”
Ratings have plummeted since Perry joined on as host.
For Monday’s first head-to-head matchup of A.I. against NBC’s The Voice, Idol was crushed by a whopping 34 percent — The Voice managed to garner a 7.5 rating/12 share to American Idol’s 5.6/9.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Perry, 33, was causing concern behind the scenes even before the show began to air.
“Katy Perry has been worse than anyone ever could have imagined on American Idol,” an insider previously told RadarOnline.com. “Her feedback and interactions with contestants are flat, and at times, very, very awkward.”
“Along with constantly being late, this is not a very good indication of the show’s reboot success,” said the source. “It’s a complete train wreck!”
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