A mom of three won over the 'American Idol' judges — but then did something no one saw coming
Sara Beth Liebe, a mom of three, lit up the 'American Idol' stage with her peppy and upbeat energy that even Katy Perry had to admit, "She is like a comic strip character who just came to life." But beneath her charming presence, Liebe was extremely nervous. Ahead of the performance, Perry asked her, "Is this your dream? If not, you might need to leave because there are a lot of dreams behind you." Still overwhelmed, Leibe replied with honesty, “Literally, I’m still processing. I can’t even answer." She confessed, "This is sooooooo much. Why don't you freak us out? Freaky Friday," Perry said teasingly. When Lionel Richie asked her about her song choice, Liebe admitted, "I was supposed to sing 'Benny and the Jets'..but my voice is, you know, so now I'm gonna sing 'No Good' by Amy Whitehouse."
After she had sung, Perry, not fully convinced, said, "That's not enough! Try 'Benny and Jet." Luke Bryan said, "You've got to lose nothing." Liebe then took a deep breath and sang her second song. After the performance, Bryan, seemingly impressed, was the first to comment, "I love you. I love it because you don't know what the hell you're doing here." Then added, "But you are a good singer." Perry went next: "If it's not your dream, it's not going to go far." She added, "Respect everyone who goes through that door, who will lay down their life for this golden ticket." Richie echoed the same sentiment: "I don't want you to be a gimmick. Through all of this, there's an artist that's got to come out." He then told her that he loved her energy. Leibe got the ticket to Hollywood with. However, Leibe did something that no one saw coming.
According to Deadline, after the second performance on the live stage, she told the judges, "This opportunity is rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance because my heart’s at home, so I’m gonna get home to my babies. They kinda need me,” Perry tried to convince the young mom. "Life is scary." Perry added, “I also know that it’s easier to walk away than to be rejected, but then I also know that you lose out on your fullest potential. I know that you love your family, for your kids — I know that as a mother. But remember, self-love is just as big as motherly love. Don’t leave the competition." But there was no stopping Liebe; she said thank you and walked off the stage.
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However, per People, Liebe once shared a post on TikTok sharing the real reason behind leaving her American Idol dream. "There was a joke that was made that's gotten a lot of attention, and I've gotten a lot of people reaching out to me asking how I'm feeling," she told her fans in the video. She then recalled, during the auditions when she told the judges that she was a young mother of three, "Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind."
Referring to an exchange where Liebe jokingly said, "If Katy lays on the table, I think I'm going to pass out," Perry replied, "Honey, you've been laying on the table too much." Liebe also told the outlet, "It was embarrassing to have that on TV, and it was hurtful," the contestant said. "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."