The 20-year-old cashier sets the record straight -- and grades Perry on her peck.
Benjamin Glaze thinks American Idol fans are making a bigger deal out of his surprise kiss from Katy Perry than he is.
The 20-year-old contestant first made headlines after Perry shocked him with a kiss (his first ever) during his audition in the show's season premiere. Then, in an interview with The New York Times, Glaze said the kiss made him "uncomfortable immediately" and that he wished it could have been saved for his first relationship.
In an interview with ET on Thursday, however, Glaze called the kiss "harmless," insisting that he's grateful for the publicity the moment has brought to his career, since he didn't end up getting that golden ticket to Hollywood.
"Honestly it was show business. It was just kind of fun and games," he explained. "I don't think she meant any harm, because I think Katy Perry is smart enough not to do something that is going to have a huge factor. If she had any malicious intent, she wouldn't have done something like that."
"Obviously it's gotten a huge amount of publicity, and I am more thankful for that than not," Glaze continued, noting that he thinks that he, Perry, and American Idol producers all thought it was fine to air. "Then it went to the public and all of a sudden the public thinks that it is a big deal."
Glaze recalled the kiss, in which Perry asked him to give her a peck on the cheek before turning her head to kiss him on the lips. He said his reaction, in which he fell backward was a genuine reaction of surprise. "I was just shocked," he said.
"Before that, I had never kissed a girl, so I don't have anything to compare it to, to be honest," Glaze continued, guessing he'd rate the kiss at a "seven." "She seemed like she knew what she was doing."
"After the audition, I was going to the confessional that they do afterwards, and [another contestant] asked me, 'Are you the guy that kissed Katy Perry?' I said, 'Yeah, but I didn't get golden ticket,' and he said, 'Well, take mine. I'd rather kiss Katy Perry than get a golden ticket!'" Glaze shared. "I think, all in all, it was a much better experience to have that kind of publicity than to have just gotten the golden ticket."
"It ended up better than what I could have planned for. I am not upset about it. I am actually just thankful that I didn't say something stupid," he added. "I would have gone back and done it the exact same way had I known she was going for that."
See more in the video below.
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