Katy Perry's candor and sense of humor make her an ideal judge on "American Idol," but it can also occasionally make her cringe-worthy. On the April 2 episode of the show, contestant Sara Beth dropped out of the Hollywood auditions after comments Perry made during Beth's audition were criticized as mom-shaming. After discovering that Beth was actually a 25-year-old mother of three and not a high school student as the judges thought, the singer pretended to faint, leading Beth to say: "What if Katie lay down On the table, I think I 'm going to pass out!" Perry quickly retorted: "Honey, you lay on the table for too long!"
At the time, Beth laughed off the comment and moved on to the next round. She didn't blame Perry for leaving, but said she wanted to go home to her three children. "This opportunity is really great, but this will actually be my last performance because my heart is at home," she told the judges before singing The Police's "Roxanne." However, a month ago, she said in a TikTok video that Perry's joke was "not very kind" and explained her reaction.
"It's embarrassing and hurtful to see something like this on TV," she said, without naming Perry. "I think it's super cool for women to support and uplift other women, and I think it's super lame to shame moms." She ended the video with a message to all mothers. "Keep loving your kids," she said. "No one should feel bad about this. If you're a good mom and you love your baby, that's all that really matters. The other comments feel unnecessary."
View on TikTok
However, Perry fell more in love with Beth after the audition. In fact, she tried to convince Beth to reconsider leaving and had a pep talk with fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, revealing they voted for her to advance to the next stage. "I know life is scary," the Grammy nominee said. "But I also know you've lost your greatest potential. I know you love your family, your children; as a mother I know that. But self-love is just as important as maternal love. Don't walk away from the game. You opened a door you thought would last forever The door wo n't open while you get a yes. You may get another "yes" in the future."
The judges' pleas didn't convince Beth to continue competing. "I'm really humbled and grateful that Katie has some really nice things to say," she told the camera. "It would be nice if my kids were older. I understand what an opportunity it is. But I still kind of want to go home. I'm sure when I get home, I'm going to regret it and say, 'Man, you should have stayed .'"
