Former ‘American Idol’ contestant arrested on child pornography charge

A one-time “American Idol” hopeful, who made headlines in 2018 for receiving a kiss from Katy Perry during his audition, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.
Benjamin Glaze, 26, was arrested on Oct. 18 by the Tulsa Police Department on a warrant, according to Tulsa County District Court records reviewed by USA TODAY on Tuesday. He was charged with the single felony count of aggravated possession of child pornography that day and posted a $50,000 bond on Monday.
According to an Oct. 18 criminal felony filing reviewed by USA TODAY on Wednesday, the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office is accusing Glaze of possessing “certain obscene, lewd, lascivious and indecent materials, to-wit: over 700 images and/or videos of child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy cellphone.”
Glaze is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning and is expected to enter a plea.
Tulsa police detailed their investigation into Glaze’s alleged unlawful conduct in a Facebook post shared on the day of his arrest.
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“In April 2024, the Tulsa Police Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit (Spider Unit) received information regarding criminal activity of Benjamin Glaze, a 26-year-old male who lives in Tulsa. The report indicated that Mr. Glaze had possession of child sexual abuse material,” the post reads.
Police allege that during a search of Glaze’s residence they discovered a smartphone “that was found to contain over 700 images and videos of child sexual abuse material.”
A lawyer for Glaze could not be reached for comment.
According to an affidavit declaring “probable cause” for arrest, filed Oct. 18 and reviewed by USA TODAY Wednesday, Glaze allegedly called an emergency helpline and expressed suicidal thoughts on April 22. Speaking with a mental health counselor, who is also a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse, Glaze allegedly discussed “an addiction to child pornography.”
Based on an interview with the counselor, a detective found probable cause to request a search warrant of Glaze’s home. According to the detective, Glaze was interviewed during the search, and his phone was taken in for a forensic analysis that resulted in the discovery of “at least 700 files containing child pornography.”
Glaze’s audition was featured in the Season 16 premiere of “American Idol” in March 2018. The electronic store cashier, then 19 years old, gave judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry an acoustic version of Nick Jonas’ “Levels.” When Perry learned he’d never kissed anyone, she invited him over to the judges’ desk with her cheek facing him.
Perry admonished Glaze for his first attempt, and when he leaned in for another cheek kiss, she quickly turned her head to give his lips a peck — a move that was hotly debated on social media, with some believing the superstar had sexually harassed or assaulted Glaze. She then high-fived her fellow judges.
The judges ultimately decided not to send him on to Hollywood, saying he needed to “hone” his craft more.
“Benjamin, I really enjoyed meeting you today,” Perry told him. “You gave my heart a flutter. … I think you’re really sweet. Truthfully, there are some people that are just out-singing you right now. So, I don’t think it’d be fair to put you in that kind of competition. Next time just take a little bit more time. I think you were a bit rushed, and maybe that was because I sped up your BPM of the heartbeat.”
Glaze took to Instagram after the episode aired to clarify in a since-deleted post that he did not feel he’d been sexually harassed by Perry.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org