Sara Beth Liebe’s decision to leave American Idol has garnered a lot of attention, including from Whoopi Goldberg and her co-hosts from The View.
During a segment, Goldberg said: “You know what, Sara? People have to make decisions, and you made the decision that was right for you,” praising Liebe for making the difficult decision to prioritize her family.
Goldberg said in her segment that only the person making the decision knows why they are doing it and that it should feel right in their soul: “Sometimes the decision to go with the opportunity was the right one [but] you feel bad because other people say to you, ‘Oh, that’s what you did?’” Goldberg added. “I think you know in your soul what’s right for you and I love that she said, ‘I gotta go home with my babies,’ It’s a great thing.”
The young mother’s announcement that she was dropping out of American Idol during Sunday’s episode left viewers and judges surprised. After putting up an impressive rendition of The Police’s Roxanne, Liebe said: “This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance, because my heart’s at home. I’m gonna get home to my babies. They kind of need me.”
All of the judges tried to keep the young mother of three from making this decision, with Katy Perry saying: “You’ve opened a door you thought you’d never open, and you got a yes. You may get another yes in the future. Don’t give up.”
After thanking Perry for her words, Liebe said in a backstage interview that she was “humbled and grateful” for the experience, adding, “Katy had some really nice things to say. It would be nice if my kids were a little older. I understand how big of an opportunity this is.”
During the discussion on The View, Goldberg commended the singer for putting herself first and reminded her that she was young enough to have other opportunities: “With that voice, that will not be your only time, and you’re young enough to come back and do it again. A lot of people make the same decision that you did. A lot of people do not. And so, you had to go with your heart, and I respect you for it,” Goldberg added and foretold that Liebe “will have other opportunities,” in times to come.
Joy Behar echoed Goldberg’s sentiments, stating that Liebe had “gotten a lot of exposure” and that it was understandable for her to want to return to her children. Sunny Hostin also added her thoughts, saying that she “hated this work-life balance” discussion as it was often skewed against women and that it was necessary to prioritize what mattered most to them.
“No shade to a lot of men, ’cause I’m sure there are men that have had to make those decisions but I almost feel like it’s this guilt thing with women,” the former prosecutor said. “There is no balance, you make priorities in your life and you make choices — some of them the right choices, some of them are the wrong choices. I’ve given up opportunities so that I could go see a track meet — that was for me, but it may not be for someone else. Why are we as women always told that we do have to make it all work.”
Goldberg rounded the discussion up by saying that Liebe is “she’s doing what she wants to be doing” and “she’s probably going to be happiest until she says, ‘I have the time now and now, this is what I’m going to do.’”
“I’m looking to see you in the future ’cause I think you have a future here,” Goldberg said as she concluded the segment.
You can watch the full segment here:
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While it is not uncommon for contestants to leave reality TV competitions for various reasons, Liebe’s decision sparked a conversation after she said she felt “mom-shamed” by Perry at the auditions, after the judge made a comment about her having three children at 25. Liebe expressed her discomfort at Perry’s joke in a TikTok video and said that it was hurtful. She also spoke out against mom shaming and called for women to support and uplift each other.
If you wish to catch whole episode of The View and American Idol, here’s how you can do it on Hulu outside USA.
