It was just a month ago that Sara Beth Liebe earned her golden ticket to Hollywood during her American Idol audition. The 25-year-old mother of three earned a ‘yes’ from Luke Bryan and Katy Perry, but a ‘no’ from Lionel Richie. While it was a surreal moment for Sara Beth, it was also filled with embarrassment.
The embarrassment came when Katy appeared to ‘mom-shame’ Sara Beth after telling the judges she was 25 years old with three children. In shock, Katy jokingly started to lay her body across the table and started to fan herself, to which Sara Beth said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much,” Katy replied. While Sara Beth didn’t say anything at the moment and continued on with the audition, she later took to TikTok and called Katy out for the comment – saying it was ‘embarrassing to have it on TV’ and even called mom-shaming ‘super lame.’
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On April 2, Sara Beth Liebe was given her moment to shine in front of the judges during the performance round of the show. She was set to perform the song ‘Roxanne’ by The Police, but was struggling with homesickness and was finding it hard to be away from her children – all of whom are still very young.
After a mentor session with Clay Aiken, she voiced her struggle and said she didn’t realize how hard it would be without her kids. “There’s a lot of guilt that comes when you leave your kids to do something completely selfish. I’m just gonna try to keep my head on straight,” she said in front of the camera.
She ended up performing and did an incredible job – receiving standing ovations all around – but things took a shocking turn when she finished the song. “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 go home to my babies,” she said.
After walking off stage, Katy asked her to come back and explained that life is scary and it’s often easier to walk away than get rejected. At the same time, she reminded Sara Beth that she might be losing out on her fullest potential. She urged her not to leave the competition, but her mind was already made up.
Sara Beth Liebe Explains Her Decision on Instagram
Sara Beth Liebe left the judges shocked and was even a little shocked herself – ultimately having a panic attack after walking off stage. She shared a video of that moment and explained her decision to walk away from the show – and explained that the panic attack was due to the gratitude and shock she felt.
“My heart is grateful. Sometimes we are presented with big opportunities and situations and we have to make big decisions,” she said – adding that auditioning for American Idol wasn’t something she planned on, but she was scouted by the show and asked to audition. That audition changed her life for the better.
“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,” she said. While it wasn’t for her, she learned a lot from the experience.
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In a later Instagram post, she shared a photo from her ‘Roxanne’ performance and called the experience ‘a wild year’ – adding that she’s ‘ready to make some music about it.’ We won’t get to watch her on American Idol, but she’s not giving up on her ambition and we’ll definitely be hearing her voice very soon.