An actor who starred in the music video for Katy Perry’s 2010 hit ‘Teenage Dream’ has accused the pop star of sexual misconduct — and the responses show her fans aren’t buying it.
Josh Kloss recently detailed his alleged experiences with Perry, both on the set of the video and off, accusing her of verbally bullying him during production and exposing his penis to others without his consent at a party held separately from the shoot.
“When other people were around she was cold as ice even called the act of kissing me ‘gross’ to the entire set while filming,” Kloss wrote Sunday on Instagram. “I was pretty embarrassed but kept giving my all, as my ex was busy cheating on me and my daughter was just a toddler, I knew I had to endure for her sake.”
The model said Perry invited him to a strip club after one day of shooting — an invite he says he declined — but noted that he “saw Katy a couple times “ after her break-up with Russell Brand.
The post goes on to allege another interaction at a birthday party for costume designer Johnny Wujek, where, Kloss claims, Perry forcibly stretched his pants and undergarments, making his penis visible to her friends.
“When I saw her, we hugged and she was still my crush,” he wrote. “But as I turned to introduce my friend, she pulled my Adidas sweats and underwear out as far as she could to show a couple of her guy friends and the crowd around us, my penis. Can you imagine how pathetic and embarrassed I felt?”
Reps for Perry did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the artist has not spoken out on social media. (On Sunday, the same day Kloss made his accusations, Perry tweeted: “Can ‘t we all just be kind and good Why is that so hard?”)
Many sceptical Perry fans have since commented on the post, criticising Kloss (who is no relation to supermodel Karlie Kloss) for waiting nine years to report the alleged behaviour and accusing him of lying. Wujek even joined the chorus to defend Perry.
“I ‘m not about to let you make accusations against my friend like this,” Wujek wrote in comments. “Katy would never do something like that. We all know about your on going 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.”
Kloss responded to the sceptics in two additional Instagram posts, praising other celebs with whom he has collaborated and asserting that Perry’s team coerced him to keep quiet about his interactions with the pop star.
“For the strong youth defending their queen on here. I commend your heart behind your comments, which seeks to protect someone you idolise,” he wrote, posting a still from a Skechers commercial he filmed with Kim Kardashian. “ #kimkardashian #krisjenner these are two women in a lot more power than Katy, AND TREATED me with RESPECT! perhaps you should give them your loyalty.”
He also shared what appear to be screenshots of messages he allegedly received from Perry’s entourage warning him against speaking publicly about working with their client.
“I was supposed to minimise myself and stay PC to protect her ‘image’,” he wrote. “I listened and was a good boy. The fear sticks with you, when you are censored to protect someone else’s image. But in return treated like a prostitute and exposed in front of a group of her friends and other random people.”
He said the anniversary of ‘Teenage Dream’ was what spurred him finally to put his story out publicly.
Kloss’ allegations come on the heels of another scandal — a legal battle between Perry and Christian rapper Flame, who sued Perry for plagiarising his music for her song ‘Dark Horse’. The pop star and her label were found to have copied Flame’s 2009 song ‘Joyful Noise’ and ordered to pay nearly $3 million (Dh11.01 million).
