American Idol contestant shockingly quits show from stage: 'I'm sure that when I get home, I'll regret it'
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Sunday's episode of American Idol was the last one for contestant Sara Beth Liebe — though not because she was eliminated. After performing The Police's "Roxanne" during the first installment of Hollywood Week, Liebe announced — to the surprise of the judges, the live audience, and viewers at home — that she was leaving the show.
"This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually gonna be my last performance," Liebe said on stage. "My heart's at home, so I'm gonna get home to my babies. They kinda need me."
ABC/Eric McCandless Sara Beth Liebe on 'American Idol'
As Liebe left stage, judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan sat in confusion. They asked her to further explain her decision, and Perry tried to change her mind. The judges even promoted Liebe and the rest of her group to the next round.
"You've opened a door you never thought you would open, and you got a yes," Perry said. "You may get another yes in the future. Do not give up."
But these words had no effect on Liebe's decision.
"I'm really humbled and grateful, and Katy had some really nice things to say," Liebe told cameras backstage. "If my kids were a little older... I understand how big of an opportunity this is, but I still kinda wanna go home."
Earlier in the episode, before her performance, Liebe told producers, "I don't think I realized quite how hard it would be to be away from my kids. They're still really young. There's a lot of guilt that comes when you leave your kids to do something completely selfish."
The episode ended with Liebe acknowledging that the decision could very well haunt her. "I'm sure that when I get home, I'll regret it," she said. "I probably will go 'Ah, Sara, you should've stayed and you should've done it.'"
After the episode aired, Liebe explained more of her thinking in a TikTok. Video footage of a panic attack she suffered after her audition was paired with a long block of text.
"A lot of people don't realize that I was scouted to audition. They reached out to me," Liebe wrote. "And I'm so grateful. I've never had this much support with singing. And it's mind-blowing and so humbling and has made me realize how badly I want to do music. Six months ago, I didn't know that yet. But I'm also allowed to make hard choices that are best for me."
After her exit was confirmed on the show, Perry concluded that "everyone has their own story."
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