- A woman appeared on "American Idol" season 21 during week three auditions.
- Katy Perry, a judge on the show, made a quip about the woman being a young mother of three.
An "American Idol" contestant addressed a joke Katy Perry made during her audition, calling it "embarrassing" and "hurtful."
Sara Beth Liebe, a mother of three based in California, auditioned for the ABC competition series in an episode aired on March 5. When Liebe introduced herself to the judges – Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan – they seemed surprised that she was only 25 years old.
"You look 16," Bryan said.
When Liebe said she had three children, Perry jumped out of her seat and walked towards the edge of the judge's table before leaning back.
"If Katy lays on the table, I think I'm going to pass out," Liebe said.
"Honey, you've been lying on the table too much," Perry said.
ABC shared a clip of Liebe's audition on YouTube, where some users criticized all three judges for what they perceived as rude behavior. Some comments specifically called out Perry's comments toward Liebe.
Three days after the episode aired, Liebe addressed Perry's comments with a TikTok video.
"Before I sang, I mentioned that I had 3 children and was a young mother and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind," Liebe said, adding, "it was embarrassing to have that on TV, and it was hurtful."
"I think women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool," Liebe said. "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."
@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
Liebe concluded the video by acknowledging mothers who also responded to Perry's comments on videos and social media posts.
"Keep loving your babies. Nobody deserves to feel crappy about that. I think if you're a good mama and you love your babies, that's all that really matters and other comments don't feel necessary," Liebe said.
Representatives for Perry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Perry shares a 2-year-old daughter with her longtime partner, Orlando Bloom. The couple got engaged in February 2019 and revealed they were expecting a child in March 2020. Bloom has an older son with his former wife, Miranda Kerr.