‘American Idol’ Alum Who Kissed Katy Perry Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Former American Idol contestant Benjamin Glaze has been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography. According to TMZ, Benjamin Glaze was taken into custody in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by the police’s Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit after receiving info the Idol alum was in possession of child sex abuse material.

“As part of the investigations, the Spider Unit obtained a search warrant for Glaze’s residence,” Tulsa Police wrote on Facebook. “During the search, a smartphone was recovered that was found to contain over 700 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.”

The 26-year-old was arrested on Oct. 18 and charged with aggravated possession of child sexual abuse material. The investigation was started in April 2024.

Glaze made headlines back in 2018 after appearing on American Idol and getting kissed by Perry after revealing to the judges he had never kissed a girl. Perry then beckoned Glaze to the judge’s table for a kiss on the cheek, pulling the old switcheroo and turning to kiss him on the lips.

Controversy followed with some claiming Perry had sexually harassed Glaze online, though Glaze denied this while claiming he was “uncomfortable” with the viral moment.

“I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately,” Glaze told the New York Times after the moment. “I wanted my first kiss to be special.”

He then wanted to clarify his comments on social media, now saying he wasn’t blaming or complaining about Perry’s kiss. He also clarifies his uncomfortable feeling was due to his surprise, not the kiss.

“I am very honored and thankful to have been a part of American Idol… I do wish I would have performed better in the moment,” he wrote on Facebook. “I should have picked another song to sing and calmed myself down regardless of the kiss. I should have been able to perform under pressure.”

“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,” he added.