Co-star alleges Katy Perry pulled his pants down at party
What's the story
Josh Kloss, who starred alongside Katy Perry in her Teenage Dream music video, has accused the singer of exposing his genitals without consent at a party. The incident allegedly took place nearly 14 years ago and has left Kloss with "silent trauma." He recently spoke to Page Six about the incident, saying it was "hard to bring up something that seems irrelevant to a lot of people."
Timing
Kloss spoke out after Ruby Rose's allegations against Perry
Kloss said he felt it was "important" to speak out after Ruby Rose accused Perry of sexually assaulting her at a Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne He said, "The world can judge me, you know?" Kloss played Perry's love interest in the 2010 music video for her hit song Teenage Dream. He claimed they bonded on set, and he was later invited to a birthday party for Perry's costume designer, Johnny Wujek, at Moonlight Rollerway skating rink in Glendale, California.
Allegation
'I want to get rid of the confusion because...'
Kloss alleged that when he arrived at the party with a friend, Perry greeted him excitedly and then pulled his pants and underwear down, exposing his genitals. He said, "That's the main thing here. I want to clear that. I want to get rid of the confusion because some people believe that if you pull someone's pants down at a party, you're pranking them." Though "even being pantsed would have totally humiliated" him, he added.
Reaction
Kloss first spoke up in 2019
Kloss had made these claims back in 2019 via Instagram as well, and he was met with skepticism from Perry's friends. Wujek said, "This is such bulls--t. Katy would never do something like that." Jewelry designer Marsha Molinari also called Kloss an "obsessed" fan. However, Kloss stood by his story, saying he was "confused" because he might have had a crush on Perry at the time.
Aftermath
Kloss thought the singer would apologize to him
Kloss said he spoke out because fans kept telling him how "fortunate" he was to have worked with Perry. He thought she might respond by apologizing, but she didn't. Instead, Perry only addressed multiple allegations of unwanted touching in an August 2020 interview with The Guardian. When asked about the allegations, she said, "I don't want to say 'guilty until proven innocent,' but there's no checks and balances: a headline just flies, right?"