Benjamin Glaze, a former “American Idol” contestant best known for being on the receiving end of an unplanned kiss from Katy Perry during his 2018 audition, has been arrested for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material in Oklahoma.
According to the Tulsa Police Department’s Facebook page, Glaze was allegedly discovered to be in possession of child sexual abuse material in April 2024, after the Tulsa Police Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit (Spider Unit) received a tip about alleged criminal activity by the 26-year-old.
“As part of the investigations, the Spider Unit obtained a search warrant for Glaze’s residence,” according to Tulsa Police. “During the search, a smartphone was recovered that was found to contain over 700 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
KATY PERRY SURPRISES ‘IDOL’ CONTESTANT WITH KISS, AND HE SAYS HE WAS ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’
Katy Perry surprised Glaze with a kiss during a 2018 episode of “American Idol.” (ABC/Getty Images)
“On 10/18/2024, an arrest warrant was issued for Benjamin Isaac Dewitt Glaze for Aggravated Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Glaze was located and arrested on the afternoon of 10/18/2024 by the Spider Unit and booked into the Tulsa County Jail for his warrant.”
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A representative for the Tulsa Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In 2018, Glaze, who was 19 at the time of his “Idol” audition, took his shot in front of judges Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
During his audition, Glaze mentioned that his job as a cashier allowed him to meet “cute girls,” to which Bryan jokingly asked if he’d kissed a girl and liked it, a nod to Perry’s famous pop song.
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Katy Perry was on the singing competition show for seven seasons. (Getty Images)
“I have never been in a relationship, and I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship,” he said.
Perry asked him to come over and give her a kiss on the cheek, though she wasn’t entirely satisfied and asked for another. This time, Perry quickly turned to face him and planted a surprise kiss on Glaze.
“Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” Glaze told The New York Times. “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.”
Fellow judge Bryan defended Perry at the time, telling “The Morning Show” the pop star was simply “working hard” to make “fun TV.”
Perry recently wrapped her last season on “Idol.” (Eric McCandless)
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“It’s unfortunate that stuff like that turns into a story that big,” the country crooner said. “I watched an actual interview where Ben, the kid that was involved, said that he was cool with everything.
“I gotta back Katy on that.”