News/Commentary

Katy Perry branded a ‘mean girl’ for judgy comments about ‘American Idol’ contestants

April 14, 2023 | | Print Article

Katy Perry may be putting her pop career in peril.

Thanks to a series of judgy comments on ABC’s “American Idol,” Perry is being branded a mean girl, more akin to Simon Cowell than Paula Abdul of Idol’s original run.

To be fair, Perry’s whole purpose on the popular singing show is to be a literal judge, but in a post-Twitter age, her more personal remarks to would-be superstars are hitting a sour note with the audience.

Take, for example, her reaction to 25-year-old Sara Beth Liebe’s March visit to the audition room.

Upon learning that Liebe, who could easily pass as a teenager, was actually a mother of three, Perry gasped and feigned a faint.

“If Katy [lies on] the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Liebe gushed nervously.

“Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much,” Perry shot back.


(Video: YouTube)

She asked Liebe if singing was her dream, to which the bubbly red-head revealed that, being a mom, she hasn’t had much time for herself and her tryout was the first time she’s performed outside of her church’s choir and karaoke.

After an impressive rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” Perry pushed Liebe to give more and told her to sing the song she was originally going to audition with, Elton John’s classic, “Bennie and the Jets,” eliciting several raised eyebrows and nods of approval from her critic.

Ultimately, Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan all voted to send Liebe to Hollywood.

But the damage to Perry’s popularity points was done, as fans of the show took to Twitter and accused her of “mom-shaming.”

“@katyperry mom shaming the @AmericanIdol contestant for having three kids and telling her she spends too much time on the table is out of line and down right rude!” fumed one viewer. “Keep your judgment to the singing and MYFB about people’s lifestyle and family!”

Liebe’s feelings were apparently hurt. She took to social media and wrote, “At the start of my audition before I sang, I mentioned that I have three children and was a young mother, and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn’t super kind,” according to Fox News Digital.

Liebe made it to La-La Land, but quit the show soon after, citing her desire to be with her family.

By then, Perry was considered the new Cowell, who was notorious for his brutally honest and sometimes downright nasty comments to the contestants.

https://twitter.com/mmytimee/status/1633288048053047302?s=20

Potentially worse for Perry are the comparisons to the universally disliked Tyra Banks, who has, according to many, elevated her mean girl status to legendary heights.

It seems Perry is still haunting the nightmares of former contestant Adriel Carrion, who, along with fellow contestant Anthony Guzman showed up to sing Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar,” just after Perry had joked about banning the song because she’s had to hear so many renditions of it.

“It’s the way that it’s been three years, and I’m still traumatized by this moment,” Carrion shared in a TikTok video. “I can be getting my beauty rest and all I hear in my nightmares, ‘Not ‘Watermelon Sugar.'”

@adriel_carrion SHE IS IN MY NIGHTMARES NOW!! #watermelonsugar #americanidol #nightmare #katyperry #harrystyles #traumatized ♬ original sound – Adriel


Kathy Fielder of Kathy Fielder Designs dismissed the Cowell comparisons as “incomparable because she is a strong woman with her own voice. Ms. Perry has her own career, she’s not trying to emulate Mr. Cowell, she is being true to herself and her own platform.”

“Simon Cowell brought brutal commentary to ‘American Idol,'” Fielder told Fox News Digital. “Ms. Perry has always been a polarizing figure in her own right outside ‘American Idol,’ comparing her to Simon Cowell is not doing her justice as the mega-star that she is on her own accord.”

But, as one Twitter user noted, the comparison is valid.

“Katy Perry is the new Simon Cowell,” the user tweeted. “Meaning the show would be bust without her #AmericanIdol”

https://twitter.com/PumpkinTwit/status/978061347366850560?s=20

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Melissa Fine
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