American Idol judge Katy Perry took some hits from the show’s fans for allegedly bullying a young mom who auditioned for the show. And now this mom of three is speaking out about her experience.
Sarah Beth Liebe has said that she was embarrassed and hurt by comments made by the pop star judge.
When Liebe started her audition, she told judges that she was 25 years old, which prompted them to compliment her for looking far younger. Then they were shocked when she said she was also the mother of three children. Perry pretended to be stunned by the information, stood up, and turned away from Liebe in disbelief.
“If Katy lays on the table,” Liebe said, “I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much,” she responded.
While Liebe was singing her first song, Perry accused her of not wanting to win enough and told her to sing another song.
Liebe responded to her strange encounter with Perry saying, “It was embarrassing to have that on TV. 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.”
“I also wanted to take this opportunity to say I see all of the young moms and just moms in general,” she continued, “keep loving your babies. Nobody deserves to feel crappy about that. I think that if you’re a good mama and you love your babies, that’s all that really matters. Other comments just don’t feel necessary.”
Despite the weird interaction, Perry approved Liebe for the next round. Luke Perry enthusiastically supported her while Lionel Ritchie voted no.
Perry has a two-year-old daughter with her actor fiancé Orlando Bloom.
Watch Liebe’s Audition:
