In the past few years, our society has become much more aware of the problematic behavior of men in power. With the #MeToo movement, we’ve seen powerful men in pretty much every field exposed for predatory actions, and it’s important work. But it’s equally important to recognize that these behaviors aren’t limited to men in power. Sexual assault and harassment can happen to anyone and can be committed by anyone. Case in point, this week, there are new allegations that Katy Perry was inappropriate to one of her video costars, and it’s a messy situation.
The alleged incident went down in 2011, after model Josh Kloss appeared in Katy Perry’s video for “Teenage Dream.” In an Instagram post for the anniversary of the song, he detailed his experiences working with her. He says that they kept hanging out after making the video together, and at one point he went to a party for her stylist, Johnny Wujek. Josh Kloss says that he hugged Katy when he got there, and as he turned to introduce his friend to her, she “pulled [his] Adidas sweats and underwear out as far as she could to show a couple of her guy friends and the crowd around us, [his] penis.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1CFg2xFG-C/
First, can we all just agree that that’s a f*cking weird thing to do? Like, I consider myself a pretty confident person, but if I got to a party and my friend was like “hey, I’m gonna show everyone your dick,” I would probably um, not be cool with that. On top of the weird factor, it’s also very uncool, and I’m pretty sure it’s breaking some kind of law. Right? That can’t be legal. Katy Perry likes to toe the line between quirky and cringey, but this definitely falls in the latter category, and beyond.
Josh Kloss said that another time, on the set of a music video, Katy Perry referred to kissing him as “gross.” Nice. He also said that for a long time, he didn’t speak out about her behavior because he “was lorded over by her reps, about not discussing a single thing about anything regarding Katy publicly.” Hmm, where have I heard that before? Oh right, every allegation of a public figure abusing their power ever.
It’s been a couple days since Josh Kloss made his post about Katy Perry, and she’s yet to make any comment about the accusations. This isn’t particularly surprising, given that this could still be viewed as a legal matter if Josh Kloss decides to take it there. But Johnny Wujek, the stylist who the party was for, commented on Kloss’ post, and he made his feelings very clear:
“Oh hell no. I’m not about to let you make accusations against my friend like this. This is such bullsh*t. Katy would never do something like that. We all know about your ongoing obsession with her since the day of filming that video. You were writing her music. And planning an imaginary future with her. It’s not ok to do this to people who have done nothing but uplift and inspire others. Focus on your life and your daughter and move on josh. I’ll be praying for you. We all will.”
I mean…damn. I’m obviously in no position to know whether or not the alleged incident went down as Josh Kloss described, but this is a pretty savage response from Johnny. According to him, all of Katy’s friends think Josh Kloss was obsessed with Katy Perry, so they probably see this as him making a play to get back into her life. If that’s true, it’s pretty f*cked up, but if it’s not true, it’s equally f*cked up of Johnny to say. Again, where have I heard the “accuser is actually the one who is obsessed with the accused, and the accused would never commit the crimes this person is alleging” narrative before? You already know. I have a feeling this isn’t the last we will be hearing of this story.
In general, all of these people should probably take this conversation somewhere else that’s not a public Instagram post. And, it goes without saying: don’t expose people’s genitals publicly. It’s 2019.
Images: Shutterstock; iamjoshkloss / Instagram
