Sabrina Carpenter addresses ‘horndog pop star’ image and album cover backlash during SNL monologue: ‘I'm not just…’
Sabrina Carpenter used her Saturday Night Live monologue to joke with her public image, reference a controversial album cover, and crack jokes with audience.
On the latest episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL), pop star Sabrina Carpenter, who served as both host and musical guest, zeroed in on how she has perceived. According to Variety, she opened her monologue by saying, “Everyone thinks of me as this, like, horndog pop star, but there’s really so much more to me. I’m not just horny. I’m also turned on and I’m sexually charged.”
She then casually slipped in: “And I love to read. My favorite book is the encyclopedia. It’s so big and it’s hard…” The remarks drew laughter from the audience.
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Sabrina talks about the album cover
Sabrina Carpenter did not stop there. She pointed out the stir around her recent album cover for Man’s Best Friend - an image with her on all fours, an unseen figure pulling her hair.
The Manchild singer said, “Some people got a little freaked out by the cover. I’m not sure why… But what people don’t realize is, that’s just how they cropped it.” She joked that the original photo showed a scene from the 50th-anniversary special of her helping up Bowen Yang after Martin Short shoved her out of a buffet line.
Watch it here:
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Audience moments and live-TV edge
Getting interactive, Sabrina Carpenter called a guy in the audience - “Will from Maryland” - into the bit, telling him: “Ooh, what a sexy, unusual place. See, I love talking to normal people. They’re so fascinating when they’re real like you.” (Which she joked “turned me on.”)
Later, she teamed with cast member Kenan Thompson, who brought pink handcuffs on stage and joked he was “arresting” her, not for being hot but for “falsely impersonating an officer 200 times at your concerts.” She replied with a mock offer: “If anyone else wants one, find me on Venmo.”
On the musical front, she delivered two performances: first Manchild, played in a bedroom-set stage, and then Nobody’s Son, which drew controversy when the East Coast feed aired the word “f***ed” uncensored, while the West Coast feed cut the audio on those two spots.
In short: Carpenter handled the limelight like she had been born for it - cheeky, bold, self-aware. She acknowledged the sparkle, corsets, and high-glam image, but made sure the message came through, adding, “There is a real person underneath all the sparkles and the wigs and the corsets.”
FAQs
Was Sabrina Carpenter both host and musical guest on SNL?
Yes - she hosted and performed as musical guest on that episode.
Which album cover did Sabrina Carpenter reference during her monologue?
She referenced her album Man’s Best Friend and the photo of her on all fours.
What did she say about her sexual image?
The Espresso crooner joked, “I’m not just horny. I’m also turned on and I’m sexually charged.”
Was there a censorship issue during Sabrina Carpenter's performance?
Yes - in her second number, two instances of “f***ed up” aired uncensored on the East Coast feed; the West Coast feed cut audio instead.
Did she engage with the audience during her monologue?
She did - she called on someone in the crowd and made a playful exchange live on stage.
