Shocking times Sabrina Carpenter landed in major controversies

Sabrina Carpenter, the 26-year-old songstress, currently dominating pop culture, is often met with criticism for her bold persona and artistic choices.

The Espresso hitmaker has frequently been the target of online trolling and negative reactions, particularly around her songwriting, lyrical content, and performance style.

Despite the constant backlash, she stands tall and continues to do what she’s best at.

Here are some major moments when Sabrina stirred controversy and left the internet in chaos. Take a look:

Provocative Album Art

Sabrina’s latest studio album, Man’s Best Friend, has sparked the biggest controversy of her career.

The album cover has deeply divided the internet, with many slamming her, while others defending it as satirical.

The official artwork shows the Feather singer sitting low on the floor, with an unidentified man pulling her hair.

Critics argued that the image glorifies domestic violence and objectifies women.

“Women face horrific domestic abuse and degradation at the hands of men every single day worldwide, but she wants to profit off of imagery of herself being degraded, comparing herself to a dog, pandering to men will never be feminist, I don’t care if the lyrics say ‘f*** men,’” an observer expressed frustration on X, per Yahoo.

Another X user questioned whether Sabrina has “a personality outside of sex.”

“Girl yes and it is goooooood,” the pop star replied in June 2025.

Suggestive Juno Performances

The American pop star has faced intense backlash during her Short n’ Sweet tour, especially over performance of her hit song, Juno.

Audiences online have labelled the performances overly sexualised and inappropriate, accusing her of obscenity.

A key moment of controversy involves her enacting a suggestive position on stage and asking the crowd, “Have you tried this one?”

Critics argue her concerts are not kid-friendly at all and point out that she grew up being a Disney child star.

“We need better role models for children,” one user tweeted on X

Another wrote, “I’m sorry but there are little kids in the audience and this is taking it way too far.”

In response, many fans defended her, saying, “I’m sorry but she’s grown! she makes grown music if you actually listen. Don’t let your kids listen or attend a concert if you’re gonna be mad she’s doing grown things to her grown music.”

According to The Sun, the Taste artist clapped back at the critics earlier this year, discussing the scrutiny women artists face as compared to male artists.

She said, “My message has always been clear— if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”

“Female artists have been shamed forever. In the Noughties it was Rihanna, in the Nineties it was Britney Spears, in the Eighties it was Madonna— and now it’s me,” Carpenter added.

Raunchy Nonsense Outros

Sabrina’s viral Nonsense outros have drawn criticism for their nature, especially when performed live.

Some admire the playful energy she brings into her performances, while others find them distasteful and unnecessary.

Here are two of her most talked-about outros that set the internet ablaze

• New York City, May 2023 (just before her 24th birthday):

“You’re all super hot, but can you lip read? Tomorrow is my birthday, I want dick, please.”

• Saturday Night Live, May 2024 (first appearance):

“He is 30 rock hard ’cause I said ‘hi’/My sense of humor is but I am not dry/SNL I just came for the first time.”

Lyrics and Songwriting

The Bed Chem songstress is often trolled for her lyrics, with many questioning her skills as a songwriter.

A contributing writer for Washington University's student life forum, Lyn Wilkins, mentioned in an online article titled Sabrina Carpenter is just not that good, “My issue lies in the lyrics. First off, why are some people pretending she is a good lyricist? I tried my best to give her a chance, but with lyrics like ‘you used a fork once’ and ‘I know I Mountain Dew it for ya’, I can’t get behind it.”

She added, “She uses the shock value of sexual lyrics and the admiration of her puns to cover up absolute absurdity.”

Others have criticised her songwriting relies more on shock value and lacks depth.

A Reddit user pointed out, “She can sing. But her singing is not something that makes her special. The same goes for her performance abilities and songwriting.”

Pick-Me allegations

Lastly, Sabrina has been labelled a pick-me girl, an internet meme and slang for a girl who tries to stand out among other girls just to seek male attention and validation.

Netizens suggest that lyrics like “To bad your ex doesn't do it for ya" and "You can try to get under my skin, while he's on mine" from her songs Espresso and Skin have been cited as examples of classic "pick-me" behavior.

“Never has an artist been so blatantly pick-me before without getting made fun of. Yet sabrina constantly mentions her height. The fact that she cares so much about being short that she had to make sure it's known in her album. It's really embarrassing,” one Redditor commented

Another wrote that Sabrina Carpenter’s songs sound like “omg men notice me I’m so perfect”, adding that “she has like the most annoying a** one-dimensional personality that’s centered around her sexuality.”