Benson Boone Fans Discover His Competitive Diving Past After Flip-Filled 2025 Grammys Performance
Footage of the "Beautiful Things" singer showing off some impressive diving skills is making the rounds on TikTok
Johnny Nunez/Getty;Kevin Winter/Getty
Benson Boone at the 67th Grammy Awards in February 2025Ever wondered why Benson Boone is so good at doing flips?
After the "Beautiful Things" singer's flip-filled performance at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2, fans have discovered his past as a competitive diver — and footage of his impressive skills is making the rounds online.
Boone, 22, attended Monroe High School in Washington and became one of its youngest divers on the swim team as a freshman, The Dispatch reported in 2020. In February of the same year, the school posted a video to X of him flipping twice off a diving board before landing in the water.
Benson Boone kicks off WIAA state diving at King County Aquatic Center this morning. It’s a great day to be a Bearcat! You can follow along on https://t.co/c3IPCjgR6T to see Benson’s results. pic.twitter.com/quWzVKqDv2
— Monroe High School (@MTownBearcats) February 21, 2020
According to the sports data site DiveMeets, Boone trained with coach Marc Hughes and competed from 2018-2020, earning sixth place in a one-meter diving event at the 2020 WIAA Boys State Swimming and Diving Championships.
The rising star went viral with his performance of "Beautiful Things" at the 2025 Grammys, during which he did two of his signature flips on stage — and now fans have a clue into how he developed the unique skill.
In the wake of his Grammys moment, fans have shared photos and videos from his diving past to TikTok. "Wow! This makes total sense now," wrote a fan in the comments section of one post.
Another viewer wrote, "So he's just good at...everything?"
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Benson Boone in February 2025However, Boone wasn't only a diver in high school. As a senior, he starred as Buddy in the school's production of Elf: The Musical. "He enjoys singing, sports and backflipping," he wrote in a self-penned biography at the time, per local news outlet KING 5 Seattle.
His father, Nate, recently spoke to the outlet about his love of acrobatics: "When he was probably three years old, we just could never stop from having him do backflips off the couch or flips wherever he could."
Following Benson's high school graduation, he briefly attended Brigham Young University in Idaho before leaving college to focus on music, per HeraldNet. He then auditioned for American Idol in season 19, making it to the top 24 before choosing to withdrew from the competition.
Related: Benson Boone Won't Take Off His Viral 2025 Grammys Jumpsuit — Even Though 'It Hurts'
Christopher Willard via Getty
Benson Boone on 'American Idol'"The reason I quit American Idol is because I wanted to do music," he told The Zach Sang Show in a 2022 interview.
"I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, Benson Boone, American Idol blew him up. Like, that's where he comes from. No. I want to be Benson Boone 'cause I write smash hits and they love my music," he continued. "I just didn't want that label on me."
It seems like Benson made the right decision. He's since charted several singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Beautiful Things," which reached No. 2 last year. His debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, also hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart — and he was nominated for best new artist at the 2025 Grammys.
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