Luke Bryan Defends Katy Perry’s Controversial ‘American Idol’ Kiss
American Idol judge Katy Perry kissed a boy, and while she may have liked it, he didn't seem to reciprocate those feelings. Now, fellow judge Luke Bryan is coming out in support of his cohort, saying that it's "unfortunate" the incident turned into such a big deal.
If you need a bit of a back-up/refresher: When American Idol's reboot debuted Mar. 11, Perry planted a full-on-the-lips smackeroo on 19-year-old contestant Benjamin Glaze, who confessed that was his first kiss (like, ever).
Now, truth be told, most guys (and probably a lot of girls) would be pretty stoked to kiss Perry — for bragging rights alone, or at least as an understood part of some good-natured showbiz for the cameras. However, Perry managed to pick the one guy out of 10 zillion who wasn't enthusiastic about it.
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Glaze, who comes from a conservative family, told the press he wished she hadn't done it, and that he had wanted his first kiss to be special. Predictably, the story blew up, with fingers pointed at Perry for being unfair and harassing.
Bryan stepped up to Perry's defense in an interview with Australia’s The Morning Show, saying, "It’s unfortunate that stuff like that turns into a story that big."
He added, “I watched an actual interview where [Glaze] said that he was cool with everything...and I gotta back Katy on that. You know she’s in there working hard and making fun TV. And you know what, we’re gonna get right it sometimes and get it wrong sometimes."
Glaze, to his credit, did turn to social media to clarify his stance, saying, "I am not complaining," and clarifying that he did not feel harassed, merely uncomfortable at the time with the situation.
Perry had better luck with country singer Trevor Holmes, who giddily told her, "I have literally had a crush on you . . . you have literally been my crush for forever. I'm sorry, but I had to get that off of my chest."
American Idol airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8PM ET/PT, and we'll be keeping an eye on all the standout performances.
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