The revamped version of American Idol has officially kicked off and the judges — Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie — are already making headlines for their outlandish behavior. During the premiere, Katy kissed 19-year-old contestant Benjamin Glaze on the lips, and he did not like the taste of her cherry chapstick!
Coming from a super conservative family, Benjamin told The New York Times, “I was a tad bit uncomfortable. I wanted to save it for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special.” Not only is the smooch is garnering lots of attention because it was Ben’s first kiss, but also because Katy never actually asked if she could plant one on him. And in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, unwanted sexual advances can’t be taken lightly.
The first kiss.
However, Ben doesn’t see this experience as sexual harassment and even if Katy had asked, he still would have been uncomfortable. He explained, “Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no. I know a lot of guys would be like, ‘Heck yeah!'”
Katy kissed the American Idol hopeful after Luke asked him if he had ever kissed a girl “and liked it” to which Ben answered, “I have never been in a relationship and I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship.” She proceeded to tell him to give her a kiss on the cheek, and he agreed.
But Katy took it one step further and turned her head so fast that their lips met and Benjamin never saw it coming. After realizing his first kiss would never be what he had always envisioned for himself, Benjamin admitted there was one good thing that came from it all — the added screen time.
With no golden ticket to Hollywood in hand, Benjamin is still getting his five minutes of fame.
He said, “So in that way, I’m glad she did it because it’s a great opportunity to get my music out.”
This story was first published on Life and Style Magazine.
