Considering how fiercely competitive American Idol is — with many aspiring singers trying out year after year for a coveted spot on the hit show — it's unheard of for a contestant to quit. But that's exactly what Sara Beth Liebe just did. The mother of three has left the competition after being cruelly mom-shamed by judge Katy Perry.
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Katy made her controversial comment during Sara Beth's audition
Sara Beth announced her surprising decision to quit after performing her first-round song
After singing "Roxanne" by The Police during Monday night's episode of Idol, she informed the judges and the audience that she was walking away. "This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance because my heart's at home," she said, according to the Daily Mail. "So I'm going get home to my babies. They kind of need me."
All three judges — Katy included — tried to convince her to stay
Luke called her decision to quit a "mistake," while Katy begged Sara Beth to reconsider. But she couldn't be swayed. "I don't even know what show business is. I've been a mom since I was 18. I've been married since I was 18. I don't think I realized quite how hard it would be to be away from my kids," she explained.
"They're all still really young. There is a lot of guilt when you leave your kids to do something completely selfish. I feel like I'm not gonna win the show anyway, so I might as well go home."
Katy gave her some words of encouragement for the future
She urged Sara Beth to keep pushing to make her dream of a music career happen. "You've opened a door you never thought you would open, and you got a yes. You may get another yes in the future. Do not give up," she said.
Despite everything that happened, it sounds like Sara Beth doesn't have any hard feelings for Katy and doesn't blame her for her decision to leave the show.
"I'm really humbled and grateful, and Katy had some really nice things to say. If my kids were a little older … I understand how big of an opportunity this is, but I still kinda wanna go home," she later said backstage, reiterating how difficult it was for her to be away from her children.
Judging by her social media posts, Sara Beth has been cracking away at writing music since leaving the Idol set, so we're sure this isn't the last we'll hear of this hardworking mom.
