A Look Back at Katy Perry's Most Controversial 'American Idol' Moments
American Idol just wouldn't be the same without judge Katy Perry. While the "Fireworks" singer seems to be beloved by her fellow panelists Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, she is still a pretty controversial figure. From kissing a teen contestant to splitting her pants, Katy has done a lot to get folks talking.
In case you missed the last few seasons, here's a look into Katy's most scandalous moments on American Idol so far:
Katy Perry kisses contestant Benjamin Glaze.
In what could possibly be one of the most uncomfortable moments on TV ever, the Grammy-nominated artist kissed then-19-year-old Benjamin Glaze on the lips during his audition. Beforehand, Benjamin had revealed that he had never been in a relationship and that he "couldn't kiss a girl without being in" one.
Reflecting on the experience, he told The New York Times that the kiss made him "a tad bit uncomfortable."
"Would I have done it if she said, 'Would you kiss me?' No, I would have said no," he said. "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."
A post shared by Ben (@classicsongwriter) on Mar 14, 2018 at 2:32pm PDT
Later on, the teen clarified that he "did not think he was sexually harassed by Katy Perry" and that he was "thankful for the judges' comments and critiques." Katy later unapologetically tweeted about the incident by posting a gif of Minnie Mouse grabbing and kissing Mickey.
Her prank did not go over very well.
For a "Hollywood Week" episode in season one, Katy told one of the groups that out of the four girls, one would need to volunteer to go home. After a tense moment, singer Crystal Alicea agreed to leave the competition and began crying. It was then that Katy announced that everyone was actually going through and, basically, that she was just kidding.
Immediately after, Lionel yelled, "Katy, you scared her to death!" On Twitter, folks were equally shocked and pretty upset with her for playing such a cruel joke on the singers.
When folks thought Katy was being shady toward Taylor Swift on Disney Night ...
For season 2's Disney Night, Katy donned a very elaborate Ursula look inspired by The Little Mermaid. Months earlier though, Taylor had worn an Ariel costume on New Year's, so, obviously, the internet drew a connection.
By the sounds of it though, Katy wasn't intentionally trying to take a dig at Taylor with her purple villain getup.
"I was thinking about [being] the Little Mermaid. But then I realized, Ursula is a character who isn't done very much, [while] the Little Mermaid always gets her moment in the sun!" Katy told ET. "And Ursula, actually, really wants Ariel's voice. And that's what I want, is these contestants' voices!"
... And then when she not-so-subtly threw shade at the "Lover" singer.
Things got super awkward when Luke asked a contestant to reveal who he looked up to as an artist, and the aspiring singer apologetically replied Taylor Swift.
Katy told the contestant that he didn't need to apologize and then simply said that she "loved her as a songwriter, as well." Given that Taylor and Katy have had a tense relationship over the years, the response was taken, by many, to be a dig at the "Bad Blood" singer.
Thankfully, it appears the two pop stars have since reconciled, as evidenced by their burger-and-fry moment in Taylor's music video for "You Need to Calm Down."
She split her pants after American Idol winner Maddie Poppe's performance
Merely seconds after Maddie finished singing "Bubbly," Katy instantly burst out laughing and declared to the world that she had ripped her pants. Not only that, but Katy then decided to turn around and show the audience what she was talking about.
Lionel sprung into action quickly, covering her backside and shouting "save the children!" Katy then went over to a behind-the-scenes worker and asked her to "tape her butt," and everything was fine after that. Crisis averted ... kind of.
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