Since the entertainment industry is in the midst of a #MeToo reckoning, following hundreds of sexual assault and gender discrimination allegations against men in Hollywood, you would think that celebrities would think twice before they behave a certain way.
Well, you thought wrong.
Although the majority of the accusations have been made against men, there have been a few famous women, including Mariah Carey, that have been named as perpetrators.
American Idol controversy
Now, people on social media are pointing fingers at another pop star for taking advantage of a young man.
"I Kissed a Girl" singer Katy Perry stirred up some controversy on a recent episode of American Idol's reboot. Perry, who is among this season's panel of judges, got a little too personal with a then-19-year-old contestant, Benjamin Glaze, from Oklahoma.
Although the episode only aired this week, Glaze auditioned for the show last year, and got his first kiss while he was at it.
Perry's fellow judge, country singer Luke Bryan, jokingly asked Glaze "Have you kissed a girl and liked it?" That's when Glaze revealed that he never had a girlfriend and "I can't kiss a girl without being in a relationship."
Perry convinced Glaze to move closer for what he thought would be a kiss on the cheek, but to his surprise, she turned her head and planted one on his lips instead.
He kissed a girl, and did not like it
Glaze finally got his first kiss, but he definitely did not like it.
"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 said. "I wanted my first kiss to be special."
The teen also certainly did not consent to it, and would never have.
"Would I have done it if she said, "˜Would you kiss me?' No, I would have said no," Glaze said.
People on the internet also did not like the unsolicited kiss and it sparked a debate about consent. Twitter users wasted no time in pointing out that what Perry did is harassment, and if the genders were reversed, people wouldn't think it was cute.
"Imagine if a 33-year-old male artist tricked a 19-year-old female auditioner into a kiss like Katy Perry just did with that teenage guy. Would we all think it was cute?" tweeted @craigmtd.
"Am I the only one who was seriously uncomfortable about the Katy Perry kiss on #AmericanIdol? It's super weird and awkward and not asked for . . .," wrote @cmsfamily.
"#AmericanIdol Katie Perry, NOT cool. If a man had planted a kiss on a young woman like you did that young man, the #MeToo movement would be in an uproar. He was embarrassed and caught off guard. Not cool!" chimed in @conner4sheila.
The New York Times got the chance to chat with Glaze after the episode aired, and he also had a lot to say about the incident. However, what he said may not be what many of us were expecting.
"I am not complaining about the kiss..."
Glaze, who is now 20, told the Times that he isn't making a big deal out of the situation despite the public's outrage. He does not consider the kiss as sexual harassment, and actually appreciated the extra screen time he was allotted because of it.
"I am not complaining about the kiss I am very honored and thankful to be apart of American Idol the main purpose for the show is to find stars and new music artist. I do wish I would have performed better in the moment. 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," he wrote on Instagram.
"My main goal is to reach people through the universal love of music and not cause strife or anger against anyone or about any situation!" he concluded.
Unfortunately, he won't be advancing to the Hollywood round, but Katy's actions has helped turn him into one of the most talked about contestants right now.
"So in that way, I'm glad she did it because it's a great opportunity to get my music out," he told the newspaper.
A new girlfriend
In a separate interview with the Inside Edition, Glaze revealed that he got a girlfriend shortly after auditioning for the singing competition. While his smooch from Katy wasn't special, he admitted that the one he shared with his new girlfriend, Carrie, was great.
"It was incredibly special," the aspiring singer said. "Katy Perry was my first kiss, but Carrie was my first kiss in a real way. If you really sat me down and asked me, I would tell you about how our first kiss was and it was just as special as I wanted it to be."
As for Carrie, she didn't mind that her boyfriend kissed Perry. In fact, she thought it was "cool."
Neither Perry nor her team has addressed the controversial kiss.
Do you think what Perry did was wrong?
