Former American Idol contestant Benjamin Glaze sentenced to 25 years in prison on child-pornography charges

Benjamin Glaze, a former American Idol contestant, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Sept. 15, 2025, after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of child sexual abuse material, Tulsa police said. The sentence reflects prosecutors' contention that Glaze knowingly possessed a large collection of sexually exploitative material involving minors. Court records indicate Glaze admitted to having access to the material over a period of time, and the plea agreement included a stipulation to the 25-year sentence, with a portion to be served under state guidelines for aggravated possession charges.

The arrest occurred in October when police found more than 700 photos and videos depicting minors on Glaze's phone, authorities said. Following the arrest, Glaze was released from the Tulsa County Jail on a $50,000 bond, a detail reported by TMZ at the time.

Glaze first rose to national attention in 2016 after Perry kissed him during his audition; the moment quickly went viral, drawing both backlash and praise as he was then 20 years old. He did not advance to Hollywood on the show, but the kiss became a defining and controversial moment of the season. Glaze has since spoken about the moment in interviews, including statements shared on social media, in which he described feeling uncomfortable and said he did not feel harassed by Perry. He said he wanted his first kiss to occur within the context of a relationship, not as a public moment on television.

Glaze has also characterized the moment as a result of a celebrity-saturated, reality-TV environment in which judges' interactions are under constant scrutiny. In a later interview with the New York Times, he described himself as a teen who was raised in a conservative family and who wished to preserve personal milestones for a future relationship. He added that if Perry had asked before the moment, he would have declined. "Would I have done it if she said, 'Would you kiss me?'" he said later; "No, I would have said no. I know a lot of guys would be like, 'Heck yeah!' But for me, I was uncomfortable immediately. I wanted my first kiss to be special."

The 2016 episode remains a reference point for debates about how media moments can shape public perception of young contestants in the age of social media. Luke Bryan, Perry's fellow judge on American Idol, defended Perry at the time, noting that the show is about critiquing performances and that audiences sometimes react to events beyond the vocal performances. "We’re in there critiquing people. They say something one day that not everyone is going to like. That’s just what you signed up for," Bryan said in later television interviews.

The newest case adds a stark contrast to that earlier pop-cultural moment by placing Glaze's actions in a criminal context involving child exploitation material. Authorities and advocates emphasize that crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors carry severe penalties and are closely monitored by law enforcement. The case underscores ongoing concerns about online behavior and the need for safeguarding against the distribution and possession of such material, regardless of a person’s fame or public status.