In case you’ve been living in a cave or something, you know that Sabrina Carpenter is having more than a moment…she’s having an entire millennium! This musical superstar is selling out one performance after another even as she completely dominates our TikToks. Best of all, she’s got the goods, musically speaking, and her hit songs will be rattling around in your noggin long after the performance ends.
Based on her crazy levels of fame and popularity, you might think that everyone loves Sabrina Carpenter. However, she’s generated a few major controversies over the years, and not only for her dating decisions (girl, why’d you have to go and date Barry Keoghan!). It’s actually her performances that have made her infamous in certain quarters, and her unabashed naughtiness has often won her some serious enemies.
Don’t believe it? Keep reading to discover Sabrina Carpenter’s biggest performance controversies!
Fangs out in defense of her sexy lingerie
Our first major Sabrina Carpenter performance controversy didn’t concern a particular song or dance. Instead, it concerned the sexy lingerie outfits that have become her trademark style. Make no mistake: if there’s anyone who still thinks of Carpenter as a childish Disney star, the sight of her flaunting her beautiful body in breathtaking lingerie will quickly dispel that particular notion. That lingerie helped make Carpenter into an online sensation, but it also offended critics who wished that she’d dress more conservatively.
As she dished to Time, “you’ll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing. And to that I just say, don’t come to the show and that’s OK.” It’s a simple and straightforward response, and Carpenter added to it by explaining that her wardrobe is a way of expressing herself and her sexuality. “Femininity is something that I’ve always embraced. And if right now that means corsets and garter belts and fuzzy robes or whatever the f***, then that’s what that means.”
To that, all we can say is YASS, KWEEN!
Alien makeout session
Sabrina Carpenter is one of those young musicians who has grown up fully immersed in the world of social media, including YouTube and TikTok. She knows that you have to go big or go home when it comes to making her performances stand out. Accordingly, she added something truly unexpected to her 2024 MTV VMAs performance: a makeout session with an alien!
During her VMA appearance, Carpenter performed a medley of several hit songs, including “Espresso,” the tune for which she won Song of the Year. Onstage, she performed with both an astronaut and an alien, and everyone was shocked to see her cast aside the astronaut so she could go all “extra-sexual” with this E.T. Many even complained about the alien makeout session, but what’s not to love about Carpenter making first contact with alien life in the sexiest possible way?
Simulated oral sex on stage
Love her or hate her, part of what makes Sabrina Carpenter’s performances so mesmerizing is that you never know what you’ll get next. Mostly, she presents as a sweet young musician who just happens to dress like a Victoria’s Secret model. Sometimes, though, she lets her spicy side out, and that’s exactly what happened during a California concert in November 2024.
During that performance, she dropped to her knees and held the microphone close to her mouth, very obviously simulating oral sex as she opened and closed her lips. This obviously titillated some fans, but others thought it was inappropriate given the number of underage fans in attendance. Others, either in horror or hope, suggested the musical superstar should cut to the chase and start her own OnlyFans!
Referencing a weirdly naughty ‘Saltburn’ scene
To understand this next Sabrina Carpenter performance controversy, you need to understand two main points. First, she was once dating Barry Keoghan, an actor who recently starred in the unexpectedly erotic thriller Saltburn. Second, that movie features a scene where his often-nude character drinks the used bathwater of another character.
Why the heck are these facts so important? While performing at Coachella in 2024, Carpenter unveiled some unexpectedly naughty new lyrics. “Man, his knees so weak he had to spread mine / He’s drinkin’ my bathwater like it’s red wine / Coachella, see you back here when I headline.” This wasn’t as overtly naughty as, say, simulating sex onstage. But the combination of referencing the bizarrely erotic onscreen act even as she suggested her own man liked to drink her bathwater was a bridge too far for her more conservative fans.
More simulated sex (this time, through a curtain)
If you thought that bit with the microphone was spicy, wait until you get a load of this controversy! In October 2024, Sabrina Carpenter performed her song “Bed Chem” on tour. The song is about having good chemistry with your sexual partner, and to the shock and delight of the audience, she decided to give a demonstration!
It all started when a transparent curtain fell on herself as well as a male performer. With the barely-there protection of the curtain, the two proceeded to simulate some serious sex in front of countless fans. Once again, some objected because of the presence of underage audience members and the overtly sexual nature of her performance. Others pointed out that if you came to the concert of someone famous for wearing naughty lingerie and singing about sex, you shouldn’t be surprised if the onstage performances lean in a PG-13 direction!