Why did Kaya Stewart leave American Idol season 21?

We haven’t made it through very far in this season of American Idol, but already the ABC singing competition series has seen some unusual exits. If you tuned in to the April 3, 2023 episode, you’ll know Kaya Stewart left before even performing during Hollywood Week.

The former contestant was supposed to sing “Whataya Want From Me” by Adam Lambert with her duet partner for this round of the competition, Fire Wilmore. But before they even started, Stewart announced to the judges that she was leaving the show and her chance to become the next American Idol winner.

So what happened? Why did she decide to leave the show? We’ve got the answer for you below.

Why did Kaya Stewart leave American Idol?

As viewers saw when Stewart went up on stage, all of us, including the judges, thought she was going to perform with her partner. But didn’t. The once Idol hopeful shared she’s been feeling sick during the start of Hollywood Week and tried to “push” herself to “keep going.” And though she wanted to continue, she felt like she wasn’t “able to give 100%.” And so, now there’s one less contestant moving on.

The decision not to perform and drop out of the competition of course also affected her singing partner, Wilmore. She told judges that it was “really stressful” having to learn a different arrangement at the last moment. But she knocks it out of the park and Jayna Elise volunteered to sing with her. Thankfully, the judges see her talent as well and she’s one of the contestants moving on in the competition!

Did Sara Beth quit American Idol? (Why did Sarah Beth leave American Idol?)

As we mentioned before, Stewart is actually the second contestant to exit this season. Just the night before Stewart announced she was leaving on the Monday episode, Sara Beth Liebe made the same announcement on the Sunday, April 2, 2023 installment.

The 25-year-old took performed “Roxanne” by The Police, and when she was finished she made her announcement to the judges.

"This opportunity is really rad, but this is actually going to be my last performance because my heart’s at home. So I’m gonna get home to my babies. They kind of need me."

Though the judges repeatedly tried to get her to stay in the competition, partly because she said she didn’t feel confident she was going to win, Liebe left and is no longer a contestant. Recently, the former aspiring singer gained attention after calling out Katy Perry.

During her audition, the judges were surprised to learn that she had three kids and was 25 years old, as they thought she was even younger. In jest, Perry acted like she was going to fall on the judge’s table. When Liebe saw this, she joked “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m gonna pass out.” The judge responded with “honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

After that, Liebe shared on TikTok that she didn’t think Perry’s words were kind and felt like she was being mom shamed. Though she didn’t say this was the reason for her exit, it may have played a role in her decision.

American Idol airs new episodes Sunday and Monday nights on ABC.