Benson Boone Reveals Katy Perry’s Reaction to His ‘American Idol’ Exit and the Advice She Gave Him

Katy Perry is supportive of Benson Boone‘s decision to leave American Idol prematurely back in 2021.

On Wednesday, June 18, the “Beautiful Things” hitmaker, 22, was a guest on BBC Radio 2’s The Scott Mills Breakfast Show and revealed that he spoke to the “Firework” singer, 40, about two months ago as she wanted to see how he was doing with his newfound fame.

“I actually think she is really glad that I left the show,” he shared. “She was like really happy for me, also really worried about me. I think she understands that when you’re starting to go through all this, there’s just a lot of hate coming your way, a lot of people that want things from you. So, she was more just checking in on me. She was like, ‘Leaving that show was like the best thing you ever did.’”

Host Scott Mills clarified if the former American Idol judge meant any shade towards the show, to which Boone responded, “No, not at all I think she just understands — I didn’t even know if I wanted to do music at that time.”

Boone — who was 18 years old when he appeared on the hit singing competition — recalled his experience on season 19 of the series.

“I went to the top 24, but they only aired my first episode, and then right after the episode aired, I was like, no way, absolutely no way. So I just got off the show and was very fortunate to do so,” he explained to Mills.

Boone sang “Punchline” by Aidan Martin while playing the piano for his audition.

The judges, which included Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, all voted unanimously to move him into the next round and showered him with compliments.

“They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone…I’m gonna tell you something that you may not believe, but if you believe it, it might happen. I see American Idol, and I see you, and I see you winning American Idol if you want,” Perry said during his audition.

Bryan, for his part, said Boone’s voice was “a true gift” and called him “humble.” Richie, meanwhile, said he was a “natural talent.”

Boone, who got his start on TikTok, has found immense success post-Idol. He performed at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards and was nominated for the Best New Artist award. He also performed at Coachella in April and is set to drop his new album, American Heart, on Friday, June 20.