Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” co-star Josh Kloss says he has carried “silent trauma” with him since the pop star allegedly exposed his penis at a party without his consent nearly 14 years ago.
In his first — and “last” — interview since making the claims publicly via Instagram in August 2019, Kloss exclusively told Page Six, “It’s hard to bring up something that seems irrelevant to a lot of people.”
However, after actress Ruby Rose came forward with sexual assault allegations against Perry — claims the singer has vehemently denied — Kloss felt it was “important” to be “brave” and “show my face and explain myself.”
“The world can judge me, you know?” he added.
Kloss played Perry’s on-screen love interest in her music video for her hit song “Teenage Dream,” which was shot in Santa Barbara, Calif., in July 2010. He said they “bonded” on the set.
Two years later, Kloss told us he was invited to the birthday party of Johnny Wujek — Perry’s costume designer and stylist for many years — at Moonlight Rollerway skating rink in Glendale, Calif.
Kloss claimed that when he arrived with a friend, Perry — who was with a small group — greeted him excitedly outside the venue. As he was introducing the friend, he alleged Perry pulled his pants and underwear out, exposing his penis.
He lamented on Instagram in August 2019, “Can you imagine how pathetic and embarrassed I felt?”
Kloss elaborated in our interview that he immediately “freaked out.” And according to Kloss, Perry just “laughed.”
“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,” he said, claiming that’s not what he experienced.
Though “even being pantsed would have totally humiliated” him, the actor-producer insisted that “there was no horsing around” in his relationship with Perry, 41.
Page Six has reviewed correspondence that appears to corroborate Kloss’ claims. However, when he first came forward, Wujek fired back online, “This is such bulls–t. Katy would never do something like that.”
Meanwhile, her other pal, jewelry designer Marsha Molinari, called Kloss an “obsessed” fan.
Kloss acknowledged to us that he might’ve had a crush on Perry at the time, which is why the alleged incident “confused” him.
“It’s kind of weird, right? When you’re smitten by someone and then they reach out and they grab you or do something to you, that sometimes can be considered — from my generation — as flirtatious, as coming on to you,” he shared.
The father of one admittedly thought Perry “really like[d]” him, but his “brain realized what it was” after “processing and digesting” the alleged situation.
Reps for Perry, Wujek and Molinari did not respond to Page Six’s repeated requests for comment on Kloss’ claims.
As for why he came forward with his claims when he did, Kloss told us he reached a breaking point after years of fans telling him how “fortunate” and “lucky” he was to have been given such a notable platform by a major celebrity.
“She, who I should be grateful for, devalued and degraded me to the highest level in front of her closest peers. Why would I be grateful for that?” he recalled thinking, insisting that his “intentions” were not to “punish” Perry but rather “protect [his] own sanity.”
Kloss confessed that part of him thought Perry might’ve responded either privately or publicly by saying something along the lines of, “The past is the past. I made some mistakes, and I apologize. I’m better now.”
But she didn’t. In fact, she only broadly addressed multiple allegations of unwanted touching in an August 2020 interview with the Guardian. (Days after Kloss came forward, Russian TV presenter Tina Kandelaki claimed Perry tried to kiss her at a party without her consent. The musician, who previously served as a judge on “American Idol,” also came under fire for kissing admittedly “uncomfortable” Season 16 contestant Benjamin Glaze on the lips after he mentioned he had never been kissed.)
“She becomes slightly clipped for the first time when I ask how she reflects on those allegations,” the Guardian reporter noted at the time.
Perry replied to the inquiry, “I think we live in a world where anyone can say anything. I don’t want to say ‘guilty until proven innocent,’ but there’s no checks and balances: a headline just flies, right? And there’s no investigation of what it is.”
She added that she hadn’t previously commented out of respect for the #MeToo movement, explaining, “I don’t want to add to the noise. I want to add to the truth, basically.”
Pressed further on whether the allegations were true, Perry reportedly “exhaled” and said, “I don’t comment on all the things that are said about me because if I chase that dragon, it would be about true and false-ing my whole life. It’s distracting from the real movement.”
As Page Six has reported, Rose accused the singer of sexual assault earlier this month in a series of Threads posts, claiming the incident occurred at a nightclub in Melbourne, Australia, when she was in her 20s.
Perry’s rep told Page Six of Rose’s allegations, “The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies.
“Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.”
Perry is currently being investigated by officials in Australia over the alleged incident.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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