Katy Perry is facing criticism for tricking an “American Idol” contestant into kissing her on the lips — a move that the man now says was uncomfortable, nonconsensual and his first kiss ever.

Benjamin Glaze, then a 19-year-old cashier from Enid, Oklahoma, told The New York Times that he would have said “no” if Ms. Perry, a judge on the show, had thought to ask for consent before kissing him.

“I was a tad bit uncomfortable,” Mr. Glaze said Wednesday after the encounter aired on the season premiere. “I wanted to save it for my first relationship … I wanted it to be special.”

The incident happened just before Mr. Glaze’s audition, when judge Luke Bryan asked the contestant if he ever “kissed a girl and liked it” — a reference to Ms. Perry’s first hit single, “I Kissed a Girl.”

Mr. Glaze said that he had not, and that he was reserving his first kiss for his first relationship.

Ms. Perry then stood up and summoned Mr. Glaze to come closer. Mr. Glaze awkwardly obliged and asked, “One on the cheek?”

Mr. Glaze quickly touched his face to her cheek, but Ms. Perry wasn’t satisfied because he didn’t make the “smush sound.” He leaned in again, and Ms. Perry quickly moved her face and kissed him on the lips. Shocked, Mr. Glaze stumbled backward onto the floor and Ms. Perry raised her arms in victory.

Clearly flustered, Mr. Glaze asked for a bottle of water before performing Nick Jonas’ “Levels.” The judges, which included Lionel Richie, ended up rejecting the performance.

Mr. Glaze, now 20, told The Times that he’s grateful that the awkward kiss gave him more screen time but bummed that it robbed him of his first kiss with someone special.

“Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” he said. “I know a lot of guys would be like, ‘Heck yeah!’ But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately. I wanted my first kiss to be special.”

Mr. Glaze said he does not feel he was sexually harassed by Ms. Perry, but others interpreted the act differently.

Representatives for ABC and Ms. Perry did not respond to The Times’ requests for comment.

It was a forced sexual act. Imagine if this was from a male judge. Has @katyperry not taken anything from the #metoo movement? #americanidol — Molly Fletcher (@molfizzle) March 12, 2018

Anyone else watching Idol feel like Katy Perry pressured that poor kid into letting her kiss him on the cheek and violated him by planting one on his lips? Would not have been okay for a male celebrity to do to a young girl. #americanidol#katyperry#mencanbesexuallyharassedtoo — Heather Campbell (@Niblet81) March 12, 2018

Ok, let’s be real for a minute: If Katy Perry was a man and that American Idol kiss happened to a woman, it would be sexual harassment, right? If we want people to listen to legit claims of harassment by women, we need to end the double standards. My 2 cents. — Anna Baglione (@AnnaBaglione) March 12, 2018

Imagine if a 33 year-old male artist tricked a 19 year-old female auditioner into a kiss like Katy Perry just did with that teenage guy. Would we all think it was cute? #AmericanIdol — Craig M. Tiede (@craigmtd) March 12, 2018

Everyone is not star struck by status or beauty. How about his conservative beliefs and how he was raised. It counts; we are all not cut from the same cloth and each person’s beliefs and standards should be respected whether agreed or not. Inappropriate — Toni Stewart (@Lewis54Tl) March 14, 2018