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Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

sara beth american idol, katy perry
@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”


So many fans began calling out Perry’s comment that Sara Beth herself spoke out in a TikTok video that has since gone viral.

“At the start of my audition, before I sang, I mentioned that I had three children and was a young mother, and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn’t super kind,” Sara Beth explained, using air quotations around the word “joke.”

She continued, “I don’t have too much to say on my feelings about it because I feel like it’s probably pretty self-explanatory. I mean, it was embarrassing to have that on TV. And it was hurtful and, you know, that’s that.”

From there Sara Beth could have gone on the defensive, but instead chose to offer some positivity and encouragement.

For the moms who had reached out with supportive comments—and all moms in general—she said, “I see you and I hear you and I am grateful for you and you’re worthy…Keep loving your babies.That’s all that really matters and other comments don’t feel necessary.”

Really, Sara Beth’s sentiments can be boiled down to this one statement: “I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame.”

@sarabethliebe

Well. I didnt think id be making this video, but i just wanted to say a couple things since im being flooded with articles and comments/messages about this.

♬ original sound - Sara Beth

Sara Beth had the comments turned off for her video, but with over 25,000 likes, it feels safe to say the message resonated with others. And from the looks of things, it seems like that joke, however hurtful, hasn’t really kept Sara Beth down. Her demo “Last October” just debuted on Spotify, and she is posting a ton of amazing covers over on TikTok. Good for you, mama.

True

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