Sabrina Carpenter is in hot water after delivering an X-rated performance at the 2025 BRIT Awards, resulting in hundreds of complaints from viewers.
With pop stars going on tour again, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Tate McRae, and Carpenter are all making the first wave. Carpenter is known for hit songs such as Espresso and Please, Please, Please and has built a brand around her exciting stage performances with elaborate sets and bold performances.
However, she shocked many at the BRIT Awards.
like sabrina said… holy shit!#MontrealShortnSweet@SCdailyupdates @TeamSabrina pic.twitter.com/1K3tdCjGy0
— ky MET TATE! (@gutsykiwis) October 12, 2024
Viewers React to Controversial Performance of Carpenter
a moment of silence for anyone who has to go with their parents 💀pic.twitter.com/bB2814BVrH
— liviesza ★ (@livie_sza) October 9, 2024
The 25-year-old climbed to center stage at The O2 London for opening in a red military-style blazer dress, expertly waving a Union Jack flag as performers dressed as the King’s Guard.
As the performance progressed, Carpenter peeled off her blazer, revealing a sparkly red lingerie set. She then sang her song Bed Chem. Particularly controversial occurred when she knelt in front of a male dancer, who winked at the camera just before Carpenter exited the scene.
Before the 9 p.m. watershed the performance caused alarm to outraged viewers, many of them turned to social networks to express their discontent with it.
“This is far too much for BRITs,” one viewer has it.
“She is a role model for young girls, and she is over-sualizing herself,” another argued.
“As family watches this program, I was embarrassed to watch it with my mom,” said one user.
“Sabrina Carpenter is stunning and talented. Why would she feel like doing this? I felt like I was watching live p*orn,” another one commented.
“You can be sultry in music; this, however, was just vulgar,” another criticized.
Hundreds of Complaints Filed to Ofcom
Following the performance, reports revealed that 825 complaints had poured into Ofcom, the U.K. broadcasting regulator. Many viewers said the routine was too provocative for a family-oriented award show, given that it must have been deemed as not safe for kids and must have included such warning under another restriction.
An Ofcom spokesperson responded to the BBC by saying:
“We’re putting the complaints against our rules under evaluation – not necessarily yet in investigation.”
Carpenter’s Response to the Controversy
In her part during the confusion, Carpenter posted pictures from the event in her Instagram account with a caption that read:
“Now I know what the watershed is about!!!!”
This isn’t the first time Carpenter has been pulled up for “overtly” risqué stage antics. She has had some stick recently for her “too provocative” choreography while on tour with Short n’ Sweet.
The sky is still bright in Carpenter’s face, with her win at the BRITs recently for the Global Success Award. Pop music seems to have confirmed her as one of the top players in the game.
But the arguments continue: was her performance art, or did it cross the line for a prime-time evening family viewing spectacle?
