‘Mom-Shamed’ Contestant Sara Beth Liebe Abruptly Quits ‘American Idol’

Sara Beth Liebe has been one of the most talked about contestants on “American Idol” so far this season, but as of Sunday night’s Hollywood Week episode, she’s a contestant no more.

And she didn’t leave the show the way most vocal hopefuls do.

No judge sent her packing. No one voted her out. Liebe, who earned sympathy from viewers after allegedly being “mom-shamed” by panelist Katy Perry during her audition, simply chose to walk away from the big opportunity.

Liebe’s Hollywood experience started out with high praise from famed former “Idol” contender Clay Aiken, who told the 25-year-old mother of three that he’d listened to her audition performances and found her voice to be “infectiously lovely.”

However, when she sang a cappella for him, he worried she was losing her confidence.

After Aiken left her with his take on the classic “fake it to make it” advice, Liebe spoke about feeling off amid the competition.

“I don’t even really know what show business is, and then I came here and it’s just a little taste of it,” she said. “I’ve been a mom since I was 18. I’ve been married since I was 18. So I don’t feel like I fit the mold. I’m trying to figure this all out. I don’t know.”

Noting that it was hard to be away from her trio of children, Liebe declared she planned to try her best. She did just that as she took the stage to belt out a rendition of The Police’s 1979 hit, “Roxanne,” that showed off her full range.

The judges applauded, her fellow competitors gave her a standing ovation and then Liebe shocked them all.

“This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance because my heart’s at home,” she told the panel, her voice a little shaky. “So I’m gonna get home to my babies. They kinda need me. Thank you.”

While judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan wondered if she was really leaving, Perry countered, “No. We’re going to figure this out.” And that was just the first way she showed a passion for keeping Liebe in the competition.

Viewers were likely surprised to see Perry become such a advocate for Liebe after the two first met during the audition rounds. That’s when Perry, after learning that the young singer had multiple kids, got up an acted as if she might pass out on the table before her.

“If Katy lays on the table, I’m going to pass out,” Liebe joked.

Perry responded by saying, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table to much.”

That sparked backlash from fans on social media, and on March 8, it inspired Liebe to take to TikTok to talk about it, where she said Perry’s comment “wasn’t super-kind.”

“It was embarrassing to have that on TV and it was hurtful and, you know, that’s that,” she said in the short clip. “But I did want to take this opportunity to just say that I think women supporting women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame.”

But on the April 2 episode, Perry seemed like Liebe’s biggest supporter.

“Sarah Beth, I know life is scary,” the “Firework” singer said. “I also know that it’s easier to walk away than to be rejected.”

Perry then related to her “as a mother” and continued to try to convince Liebe to stay, adding, “Remember that self-love is just as big as motherly love. Don’t leave the competition.”

Alas, Liebe had already made up her mind, telling a producer, “I feel like I’m not gonna to win the show anyway, so I might as well go home.”

So she did.

After her exit aired, Liebe shared another TikTok clip, one that saw her refer to her “American Idol” experience as “mindblowing” and “humbling,” and something that convinced her “how badly I want to do music.”