American Idol Shocker: Why Contestant Sara Beth Quit During Hollywood Week

After impressing the judges during her audition, the 25-year-old singer made it to Hollywood Week, where she was mentored by 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken. Like Aiken during his time on the show, Beth explained last night that was was struggling with confidence -- something he immediately noticed when she sang for him during their time together.

She added that she found the whole experience very "overwhelming," especially considering all the other top-tier talent. "When I was on the show, I really didn't have confidence," Aiken told her, "You can fake it. If you can fake it one time, you'll have it. It worked for me, it's gonna work for you."

Before she sang for the judges again, Beth opened up a little more about her nerves in a confessional.

"I don't even really know what show business is ... I've been a mom since I was 18, I've been married since I was 18. I don't feel like I fit the mold. I don't think I realized quite how hard it would be to be away from my kids," she explained. "They're all really young. I'm going to try my best because I'm here ... there's a lot of guilt that comes when you leave your kids to do something completely selfish. I'm just gonna try to keep my head on straight."

She hit the stage and crushed her performance of "Roxanne," getting a standing ovation from the other contestants filling the audience behind the judges. But then she dropped a bomb, telling everyone: "This opportunity is really rad but this is actually going to be my last performance. My heart's at home, so I'm gonna get home to my babies. They kind of need me, so thank you."

Beth then awkwardly ran offstage, where she told cameras, "Um, I'm going home. It went a lot better than I thought it would, but I'm gonna head home to get home to my babies."

Back in the auditorium, Lionel Richie asked, "What just happened?" Katy Perry, meanwhile, was adamant the contestant didn't quit, saying, "No, we're gonna figure this out" -- before asking her to return to stage.

"Sara Beth, life is scary. I also know that it's easier to walk away than to be rejected. But then I also know that you lose out on your fullest potential," Perry said, pleading with her to stay. "I know that you love your family for your kids, I know that as a mother, but remember self love is just as big as motherly love. Don't leave the competition."

It seemed Sara's mind was already made up though, telling a producer backstage, "I feel like I'm not gonna win the show anyway, so I might as well just go home." She also said that after seeing the rest of the talent auditioning, "part of me feels like I'm not cut out for show business."

Beth's entire group made it to the next round, with Perry trying to persuade her to stay just one more time. "You've opened a door you never thought you would open and you got a yes and you may get another yes in the future. Do not give up," said Katy. While the singer appreciated those words, they still weren't enough to change her mind.

"I'm really humbled and grateful and Katy had some nice things to say. It'd be nice if my kids were a little older," she said in a confessional. "I understand how big of an opportunity this is, I still kinda want to go home. I'm sure that when I get home, I'll regret it. I'll probably go, damn it, Sara, you should have stayed and you should have done it."

"Man, that sucks," said Katy after learning of Beth's decision. "It's not easy for anyone. Everyone has their own story."

After the episode aired, Sara took to TikTok to share footage of her having a panic attack after the performance of "Roxanne" due to being "so overwhelmed with gratitude and shock."

"My heart is grateful. Sometimes we are presented with big opportunities and situations and we have to make big decisions," she wrote over the footage. "A lot of people don't realize that I was recruited to audition. They reached out to me. And I'm so GRATEFUL. I've never had this much support with singing. And it's mindblowing and so humbling and has made me realize how badly I want to do music."

"6 months ago, I didn't know that yet. But I'm also allowed to make hard choices that are best for me," she continued. "I took a chance on something big and said yes to a huge and VERY UNEXPECTED opportunity that was presented to me, and while it may not have been for me - in the ofucess found myself again, met the most talented people I've ever had the HONOR of meeting (many of which are now close friends) and ... fell in love with music again."

In the caption for the post, she reiterated her gratitude to the show and said she can't wait to continue making new music and supporting her new friends. She also praised Perry and Richie's wardrobe choices -- saying Katy looked "goooood" in her purple jacket, while Lionel simply "SLAYED."

Beth made headlines when she auditioned, after she took to TikTok and posted a video in which she said she felt Perry was "mom shaming" her after she sang for the judges.

Katy's comment came as an attempt at levity when the young mother first walked in. Sarah shared that she was 25 years old and a mother of three. The judges thought she looked much younger, which is why Katy pretended she was about to pass out. "If Katy lays on the table, I think I'm going to pass out," Sara joked, to which Katy shot back, "Honey, you been laying on the table too much!" in reference to her three children.

"It was embarrassing to have that on TV," Sara said on TikTok. "And it was hurtful."

She said Perry's joke "wasn't super kind." She went on to add, "I did want to take this opportunity to say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom shaming is super lame."

"Keep loving your babies; nobody deserves to feel crappy about that," she added. "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."