Sabrina Carpenter sent shockwaves through the Grammys stage on Sunday night after appearing to be censored mid-performance while delivering her razor-sharp track Manchild.
As she sang the hit song, widely believed by fans to be a thinly veiled dig at ex Barry Keoghan, producers scrambled to keep the performance network-safe by redacting her explicit lyrics.
This includes the chorus: ‘Man-child/Why you always come a-running to me? F**k my life/Won’t you let an innocent woman be?/Never heard of self-care/ Half your brain just ain’t there/Man-child Why you always come a-running, taking all my loving from me?’
The pop star, who was among the night’s most buzzed-about performers, took the stage at the Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles dressed as a sultry flight attendant, rocking a white corset-style bodysuit with a plunging neckline, matching knee-high lace-up boots and a pillbox-style cap.
The daring performance saw the singer emerge from a moving baggage conveyor belt into a faux terminal branded ‘SCA’ for Sabrina Carpenter Airlines.
Manchild, which is the lead single off Carpenter’s 2025 album Man’s Best Friend, is a biting, playful anthem that many believe references her brief but headline-grabbing romance with Keoghan.
Sabrina Carpenter sent shockwaves through the Grammys stage on Sunday night after appearing to be censored mid-performance while delivering her razor-sharp track Manchild
Lyrics calling out emotional immaturity and mixed signals only fueled speculation, especially given the very public timing of their split.
She was joined by an eclectic lineup of backup dancers dressed as airline passengers and staff, including an astronaut and priest.
At the end of the performance, Carpenter theatrically pulled out a live dove.
Despite the apparent censorship, the performance quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the night.
Fans flooded X within minutes, with fans applauding her for delivering one of the Grammys’ most daring performances.
‘From the moment this performance started I was captivated from start to end ladies and gentlemen Sabrina knows how to put on a show,’ one viewer wrote.
Another X user raved: ‘My favorite thing about a Sabrina Carpenter performance is that you can tell she’s truly having the time of her life and i love that for her.’
‘SHE HAS THE WHOLE FLOOR STANDING UP,’ a third observed.
While the majority of social media users gushed over her ‘stealing the show,’ some admitted they were left ‘unimpressed.’
As she sang the hit song, widely believed by fans to be a thinly veiled dig at ex Barry Keoghan, producers scrambled to keep the performance network-safe by redacting her explicit lyrics
This includes the chorus: ‘Man-child/Why you always come a-running to me? F**k my life/Won’t you let an innocent woman be?’
The pop star took the stage at the Grammy Awards dressed as a sultry flight attendant, rocking a white corset-style bodysuit with a plunging neckline
