Sabrina Carpenter issues six-word response after Brits performance was branded ‘unnecessary’ and ‘pornographic’
Sabrina Carpenter has responded to the controversy surrounding her performance at the Brit Awards 2025 with a cheeky Instagram comment.
The 25-year-old’s routine, which included dancing on a giant pink bed, sparked debate about whether it was appropriate for early evening television.
Some viewers described the performance as “unnecessary” whilst others called it “iconic”.
Carpenter’s performance opened the show with her hit Espresso, featuring dancers dressed as King’s Guards.
The routine then transitioned into a seductive rendition of Bed Chem on a large pink bed with backing dancers.
One particularly controversial moment saw her kneel in front of a male dancer, who winked at the camera as she disappeared offscreen.
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The performance aired before the 9pm watershed, which marks when television content unsuitable for children can be broadcast.
Some parents expressed outrage, with one father telling reporters he was “fuming” about the suggestive content.
Another viewer complained on social media that it was “like watching live pornography” on what should be “a family show”.
The American singer was dressed in what one source described as “a skimpy red lingerie outfit” during her routine, with some suggestive choreography, with one moment showing her crouched down in front of a dancer dressed as a King’s Guard.
Carpenter wasn’t the only artist to cause controversy, with Charli XCX’s see-through dress also drawing complaints.
The American singer today hit back at the backlash she had recieved and took to her Instagram and wrote: “I now know what watershed is!!!!” alongside a carousel of photos from the event.
This isn’t the first time that Carpenter has had to defend her performances and her artistic expression and previously told The Sun: “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.”
The Please Please Please singer drew parallels between the backlash she faces and the criticism directed at female artists throughout recent decades.
“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,” she explained.
She added that critics are “essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality” in their lyrics, clothing or performances.
Ofcom and ITV have reportedly been “flooded with complaints” about this year’s Brit Awards ceremony.
Since her performance on Saturday evening, Carpenter has begun her European leg of the tour and posted her quick visit to Dublin for her performance tonight.
