“American Idol” contestant Sara Beth shocked judges when she quit the show during Sunday’s episode.
Sara Beth’s abrupt exit came after she claimed she was embarrassed over a joke Katy Perry made during her audition that many labeled as “mom-shaming.”
For the second round of the singing competition, Sara Beth performed Police’s “Roxanne.” After singing during the Hollywood Week round, the 25-year-old announced she was quitting the show.
“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 Yahoo! “So, I’m going to get home to my babies. They kind of need me.”
“American Idol” contestant Sara Beth has quit the show shortly after Katy Perry made a joke many considered to be “mom-shaming.” (American Idol/YouTube)
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Sara Beth also shared a video of herself on Instagram confirming she wouldn’t be returning to the show and revealing she’d been “scouted to audition.”
“They reached out to me,” she explained. “And I’m so GRATEFUL. I’ve never had this much support with singing. And it’s mindblowing and so humbling and has made me realize how badly I want to do music. 6 months ago, I didn’t know that yet.”
“But I’m also allowed to make hard choices that are best for me,” Sara Beth continued. “I took a chance on something big and said yes to a huge and VERY UNEXPECTED opportunity that was presented to me, and while it may not have been for me – in the process found myself again, met the most talented people I’ve ever had the HONOR of meeting (many of which are now close friends) and… fell in love with music again.”
Katy Perry attempted to convince Sara Beth to stay. (JC Olivera)
After Sara Beth announced her decision, Perry and the judges called her back to give her the opportunity to stay and move on to the next round.
“I know life is scary,” Perry told her. “I also know that it’s easier to walk away than to be rejected.… But self-love is just as big as motherly love. Don’t leave the competition.”
“You’ve opened a door you thought you’d never open, and you got a yes,” she added. “And you may get another yes in the future. Do not give up.”
But Perry’s words didn’t change Sara Beth’s mind.
“I’m really humbled and grateful, and Katy had some really nice things to say. It would be nice if my kids were a little older. I understand how big of an opportunity this is,” she said, according to Yahoo! “But I still kind of want to get home. I am sure when I get home, I will regret it and be like, ‘Man, you should have stayed.’”
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During her audition, Sara Beth surprised judges when they learned she was a 25-year-old mother of three. Perry noted that she looked so young and fake fainted.
“If Katy lays [sic] on the table, I think I’m going to pass out!” Sara Beth said.
Perry responded, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much!”
Fans seemed to take issue with the “mom-shaming” comment and Sara Beth addressed it on social media.
“There was a joke that was made that’s gotten some attention, and I’ve gotten a lot of people reaching out to me asking how I’m feeling,” she said.
“At the start of my audition before I sang, I mentioned that I have three children and was a young mother, and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn’t super kind.”
Sara Beth continued: “It was embarrassing to have that on TV, and it was hurtful and that’s that. But I did want to take this opportunity to just say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom shaming is super lame and I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom, and it’s hard enough to be a woman.”
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom share a daughter – Daisy Dove. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Perry herself is a mother to 2-year-old Daisy Dove, who she shares with fiancé Orlando Bloom. The two got engaged in 2019 and have yet to officially tie the knot after postponing their wedding in 2020.
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“American Idol” viewers shared their thoughts on the comment via Twitter.
“Boo to Katy Perry for mom shaming Sara Beth,” one viewer wrote. “Insinuating that she has been ‘laying on the table too much’ to have 3 kids by age 25. A young mother following a dream while raising her children should be raised up not put down. #AmericanIdol.”
“I really do not like how Katy Perry just treated Sara Beth on #AmericanIdol I don’t watch this show at all and my tv was already on the channel but what I witnessed was not right,” another wrote. “They let Katy Perry bully this woman on live national tv before she even started singing. So ugly.”
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