Benson Boone says Katy Perry told him quitting ‘American Idol’ was ‘the best thing you ever did’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Benson Boone is opening up about his decision to walk away from 'American Idol' and how judge Katy Perry reacted to his choice.

The 22-year-old 'Beautiful Things' artist made it to the Top 24 of the show's Season 19 in 2021 but shocked viewers when he left the competition early despite glowing praise from the panel.

Katy Perry was 'really happy' yet 'worried' for Benson Boone after his 'American Idol' exit

Since then, Benson Boone's career has taken off. He signed a record deal with Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds' Night Street Records, toured with Taylor Swift, and earned a Grammy nomination— all within a few years of quitting the show, as per JustJared. 

Boone recalled a recent conversation with Perry during an appearance on 'The Scott Mills Breakfast Show'.  

When asked if the 'Roar' hitmaker might feel she “discovered” him after predicting his success on the show, Boone replied, “Do you want to know the actual truth? I actually think she is really glad that I left the show.”

He recalled chatting with Perry at an awards show, saying, “She was, like, really happy for me. Also, really worried about me."

"Like, I think she understands that when you’re starting to go through all of this, like, 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," Boone continued.

The 22-year-old said his uncertainty about pursuing music was one of the reasons he left 'American Idol'.

Boone added, “She told me, she was like, ‘Leaving that show was, like, the best thing you ever did.’ I think she just understands, like, I didn’t even know if I wanted to do music at that time.”

Benson Boone on the art of making 'anybody go crazy'

In a March interview with Rolling Stone, Benson Boone spoke about his body image struggles and the pressure that comes with fame.

“There is an art to making anybody go crazy… I also don’t want people to come to a show expecting me to just take my shirt off and it to be like a gun show,” Boone said. 

“One, I don’t have the guns for that. Two, that’s just not what I’m about… I don’t want to rely on my physical form to be the primary driver of my shows," he honestly admitted. 

Benson Boone doesn't think he can be the 'sex icon of the century'

In the Rolling Stone interview, Benson Boone said he enjoys working out, but shared how fixating on his looks harms his mental health.

“Because I’m so incredibly hard on myself, and when I start to think about my appearance too much, it just kills me because there’s always something more I could do," the 'Slow It Down' crooner shared. 

"There’s always a hairstyle or, like, my arms could be bigger. My shoulders could be bigger. It’s never-ending. I can’t afford to think that way because I will never be happy if I do think that way," he mentioned.

Boone added that the pressure “affect[s] me so much,” before concluding, “But I can’t be the sex icon of the ­century, just because that’s not who I am.”