American Idol Contestant Accused Katy Perry Of Mom-Shaming Her With “Hurtful” Comments

When Sara Beth Liebe auditioned for Season 31 of American Idol, judge Katy Perry commented on more than just her singing ability. Comments Liebe felt were “embarrassing” and hurtful” while many other people on social media thought Perry was “bullying” and “mom-shaming” the contestant.

Liebe was seen ready to audition for the American Idol judges — Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryan — during the March 5 episode of the show. When Ritchie and Bryan both complimented Liebe on her youthful appearance, she told them she was 25 with three kids, at which point Perry appeared to get up from the table while making a horrified face before pretending to lay down again.

“If Katy lays on the table I think I’m going to pass out,” the mom of three said.

“Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much,” Perry replied.

While Perry, who is herself a mom to 2-year-old daughter Daisy, did not explicitly say anything bad about the fact that Liebe was a mom of three at 25, her reaction and response did not go down well with Liebe after watching her episode air.

“It was embarrassing to have that on TV,” the singer said in a video shared on her Instagram and TikTok. “It was hurtful. I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool and I think that mom shaming is super lame. I think that it’s hard enough to be a mom and it’s hard enough to be a woman.”

During her audition, Perry also went on to tell Liebe, “Is this your dream? If it’s not your dream you might need to leave because there are a lot of dreams behind you,” presumably implying that, as a mother, her dreams were behind her.

Liebe was not the only person who was disappointed in Perry’s reaction to hearing about her three children. Many of Perry’s fans have taken to her Instagram page to ask her to apologize for what some perceived as “bullying” behavior.

“The way you bullied that mom contestant.. said she been laying on her back too much, AND said she had a lot of dreams behind her… wow.. at an utter loss for words,” wrote one social media user. “That was heartbreaking. Do the right thing and give Sara Beth a public apology,” wrote another.

“As a mother of 3 myself, when someone asks me what my dream is, it really takes time to answer because three dreams depend on me too,” one more commented on YouTube.

Romper has reached out to Perry’s representatives for comment.

The mom of three was ultimately sent on to Hollywood after both Perry and Luke Bryan voted yes based on her performance, so there certainly was something positive that came out of her audition.

While it was an unfortunate moment for Liebe to experience on TV, she spoke out in her video to thank fans for their support. “I see all of the young moms, and just moms in general, who have commented on all of the videos and posts and everything,” she said. “I just wanted to say that I see you and I hear you and I am grateful for you and you're worthy. Keep loving your babies.”