Night one of Coachella was a blockbuster night for Sabrina Carpenter. However, there was one moment in particular from the evening that has her in some hot water. During the performance, she’s sat at a piano while one of her fans celebrates via Zalghouta. Traditionally expressed in Arab and certain parts of Africa, it’s a high-pitched tongue trill to typically express joy and happiness.
However, Carpenter stared off into the crowd, finding it slightly off-putting. “Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it,” she briefly frowned before the crowd laughed. The fan excitedly told Sabrina Carpenter that it was a part of their culture, which only confused her more. “That’s your culture, yodeling?” she questioned. When told that it was a call and a celebration, Carpenter continued to joke it off, not quite understanding what the Coachella attendee’s cultural expression. “Is this Burning Man [Festival]? What’s going on?” she chuckled. “This is weird.”
Sabrina Carpenter comes under fire for saying an audience member’s ululation (zalghoota), a traditional celebratory vocalisation common in Arab and North African cultures, for yodelling and repeatedly calling it “weird” during her Coachella set.
pic.twitter.com/hVR9RuNWVE— Red Media (@RedMedia_us) April 11, 2026
What might’ve been harmless to her in the moment eventually ballooned into a larger controversy with fans online. Various people on social media bickered back and forth online about whether it was appropriate to celebrate in that way and if Carpenter was actually being offensive or not.
Sabrina Carpenter Offends Fans After Poking Fun at Fan’s Celebration
“This is typical white person behavior tbh. Their reaction every time they are faced with something they don’t know about until they colonize it,” one person shrugged in the replies. Meanwhile, another person attempted to defend Sabrina Carpenter and contextualize the moment. “I’m married to a Moroccan, which this audience member is probably from. My wife wouldn’t do that at a concert. It has nothing to do with culture, more to do with respect and timing. Sabrina was being funny about it,” they argued.
Controversy and all, Sabrina Carpenter still had quite the huge headlining performance. There were cameos from actors Will Ferrell, Sam Elliott, and Susan Sarandon between songs during her set. All of it led to what she labeled “the most ambitious show I’ve ever done.”
“It’s probably the most time I’ve ever had to actually just sit down and talk about a show as I’m building it. Most of the time, you’re really quickly thrust into physical rehearsals, but this time around we started this process around seven months ago. So it’s been a long journey. It will be very special,” Sabrina Carpenter told Marc Jacobs in an interview before the show.
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