The mom who quit American Idol after she was 'bullied' by Katy Perry has finally spoken out about leaving the show on stage.
Sara Beth Liebe, a mom-of-three, first appeared in front of the judges on the hit reality show to perform ‘You Know I’m No Good’ by Amy Winehouse, when Perry made a 'hurtful' comment about her being a young mother.
Perry told Liebe that she 'looked 16' and when she mentioned she had three kids, saying: "Honey, you been laying on the table too much."
Liebe went on to share a TikTok describing Perry's comments as 'hurtful' and 'embarrassing', continuing: "There was a 'joke' that was made that's gotten some attention."
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"At the start of my audition, before I sang, I mentioned that I had three children and was a young mother, and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind," she added. Even though Liebe was embarrassed by the comment, she carried on with the reality show regardless.
But right after Sunday evening's performance, which saw her sing 'Roxanne' by The Police, Liebe shocked the American Idol audiences and judges alike when she stated: "This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance because my heart’s at home, so I’m going to get home to my babies. Thank you!"
Perry and the other judges begged the mom to stick around but Liebe stuck with her gut and followed through with her choice to leave the singing competition once and for all.
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Liebe has since opened up about her shock decision, taking to TikTok yesterday (3 April) to share a clip of her crying, reeling over the 'three standing ovations' she received on the evening.
The text post over the clip read: "I don't normally share videos like this but I wanted to share this moment from right after my audition when I was having a literal panic attack because I was so overwhelmed with gratitude and shock."
She told her fans that her 'heart is grateful' following the situation, adding: "Sometimes we are presented with big opportunities and situations and we have to make big decisions."
The mom went on to claim that many 'don't realize' that she was 'scouted to audition'.
"They reached out to me. And I'm so GRATEFUL," she wrote, "I've never had this support with singing."
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Sara revealed that the whole experience has been 'mind-blowing' as well as 'so humbling' as it's really made her realise her passion and 'how badly' she wants to do music.
She admitted that just 'six months ago', she wasn't totally sure on her dream but added: "I'm also allowed to make hard choices that are best for me.
"I took a chance on something big and said yes to a huge and VERY UNEXPECTED opportunity that was presented to me."
The singer noted that her experience on American Idol 'may have not been for me' but was happy to have 'found [herself] again' in the process.
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Sara concluded the video statement saying she had finally fallen back 'in love with music again'.
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She captioned TikTok with: "Gratitude is the ONLY word that comes to mind. I can't wait to continue supporting my new friends and to continue making music. That's what it's all about after all."
Keeping it classy, the mom even extended a compliment to the 'California Gurls' singer, adding: "Oh and also, can we talk about how gooooood Katy looked in that shade of purple and how Lionel SLAYED that orange jacket?"
Topics: Film and TV, Katy Perry, Music, American Idol