Katy Perry couldn’t be happier that one former American Idol contestant decided to leave the show midway through the competition.

American Idol alum Benson Boone says that when he recently ran into Perry, she told him that he had made the right choice exiting the show. Back in 2021, Boone appeared on Season 24 and during his audition, Perry told him that she thought he could win the entire competition.

Boone advanced as far as the Top 24 but ultimately decided to walk away from the show to figure out the future of his career. At the time, he says he didn’t even know if he wanted to continue pursuing music.

When Boone ran into Perry “a couple months ago” at an awards show, he says they got to “chitchat for a little bit” about how far he’s come.

“Do you want to know the actual truth?” Boone said on an episode of Scott Mills‘ The Breakfast Show. “I actually think she is really glad that I left the show.”

He continued, “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.”

Boone went on to say that while Perry was “really happy” for him, she was also “really worried” considering how much criticism he’s faced online.

“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 shared.

Overall, Boone says Perry “actually really is a lovely person.” Katy Perry Was ‘Really Glad’ When One ‘American Idol’ Contestant Exited the Show first appeared on Parade on Jun 20, 2025