Tragic Details Of Benson Boone

Benson Boone kicked off 2025 by performing at the Grammys and being nominated for Best New Artist for his debut album, "Fireworks & Rollerblades." Though he lost to Chappell Roan, it's still amazing to become a Grammy-nominated artist before turning 30. Also during music's biggest night was Boone's amazing performance of "Beautiful Things," which included a subtly flirty moment between him and newly single Jennifer Lopez.

Though Boone is finally getting major recognition for his work, the former "American Idol" contestant's life isn't without tragedy and hardships. That's part of what makes his music so powerful, drawing from personal experience and expressing himself through song. 

Thankfully, Boone's relationship is going well with his girlfriend, Maggie Thurmon, but other aspects in his life caused him some turmoil. From making public apologies, to grieving a loved one, to suffering repeated injuries, Boone has dealt with some traumatic moments so far in his life.

While Benson Boone's Grammys performance was definitely memorable — at one point he backflipped off a piano onstage — his big moment ended up overshadowed for a more risqué reason. No, it wasn't when Nikki Glaser and Heidi Klum ripped off Boone's tuxedo to reveal a tight blue jumpsuit underneath, though that was shocking enough. It came immediately after he finished his performance and took a bow. Boone very obviously grabbed his crotch and adjusted himself while making a funny face, before giving a second bow to try and play off how that moment just happened on live TV.

Understandably, people in the audience and those watching at home were not pleased by Boone's explicit actions. SZA ended up going viral for a cutaway shot of her looking 100% not here for Boone's crotch grab, though it could've been a dour expression for Boone's actual performance. Either way, the "Kill Bill" singer was clearly not a Boone fan that night. At-home viewers also weren't there for the shenanigans. One person on X, formerly known as Twitter, hilariously posted, "Benson Boone grabbed his balls after he was done ... mom come pick me up."

Boone later took to his Instagram Story to apologize for his actions. "Sorry for adjusting my jumpsuit so aggressively on stage tonight. That thing was extremely restrictive in certain areas," he captioned the shirtless selfie. Awkward.

Benson Boone was close with his great-grandmother, whom he lovingly called "Gigi." After she passed away at age 97, Boone poured his grief into the song, "In the Stars." Speaking with Genius in 2022, he shared, "That kind of loss can be more emotional and heartfelt than a relationship." As Boone breaks down the meaning behind the lyrics, he shares how his faith was severely tested after his relative died. He would attend church with Gigi on Sundays, but after she was gone, he became angry with God for allowing her death to happen. "It was definitely a religious roller coaster for me, after that," he revealed.

In 2023, Boone posted a video to YouTube of him listening to a voice-altered version of "In the Stars" with the caption, "Me writing a sad song about my dead grandma trying not to cry." Luckily, Boone does have a sense of humor about Gigi's passing. He shared a video to TikTok of him mouthing, "I just wish ... someone would think I look handsome," while his song, "Cry," played. The video then cut to an "older" Boone — thanks the platform's aged filter — pretending to be his great-grandmother. "Too bad she [died]," he captioned, replacing "died" with the tombstone emoji.

The "Slow It Down" singer shared on BBC Radio 1 back in 2024 that he's broken his toe three times. Not three different toes — the same stubborn toe. It was his left big toe, and he broke it at ages 7, 11, and 15.

But what caused these breaks? The first time involved him doing a backflip, which is interesting, since he does them onstage all the time. The second and third times were due to sports injuries. "This is more vulnerable than 'Beautiful Things,'" Boone joked, referring to his song. Like with his great-grandmother passing, at least he can find humor in the tragedy.

It appears that Boone actually broke his toe a fourth time, though it's unclear if it's the same one as the first three breaks. He did share that it was his big toe, but not if it was the left one. "I think I will [still have] a lot of adrenaline and I won't feel the pain of doing a backflip with a broken toe," he said in a video which a Benson Boone fan shared to YouTube. While performing in Stir Cove, Iowa in July 2024, months after that BBC Radio 1 interview dropped, Boone told the audience about his injury. He sang a little ditty about it before doing a backflip onstage. A video of the shocking moment was posted to TikTok. Guess his prediction about plowing through the pain was right.

When he was 18, Benson Boone auditioned for the long-running competition show in 2021. He wowed judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan, even getting a standing ovation from Richie and Bryan. Perry actually told Boone she thought he could win the whole show. Despite all that praise from three people who are well-established in the industry, Boone still quit the competition after making it to the Top 24.

The reason he dropped out was because he didn't want the "American Idol" label attached to him, which makes sense when looking back at "American Idol" winners who didn't get the success they expected. "I decided that I wanted to do music," he said on the Zach Sang Show. "I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, Benson Boone? 'American Idol' blew him up. That's where he comes from.'" According to a press release, Boone said the decision to leave the show wasn't an easy one. "I didn't really know who I wanted to be as an artist yet, and I didn't want to show the world someone I'm not," he admitted (via MJsBigBlog). Public persona can make or break a person's career, so the anxiety and pressure he must have felt after making that decision, having no idea if he actually could make it as an artist, was probably tough to cope with.