After a pretty massive headlining performance at Coachella, Sabrina Carpenter was on top of the world. However, one passing moment during her performance rubbed a lot of people on social media the wrong way. While sitting at a piano, one fan was chanting and celebrating via an ululation. Typically a part of African and Arab culture, Carpenter was particularly confused by it and didn’t like it very much. “That’s your culture, yodeling?” she sarcastically questioned.
Then, when the audience member explained it was a cultural form of celebration, the pop star continued to make a joke out of the awkward exchange. “Is this Burning Man [Festival]? What’s going on? This is weird,” Sabrina Carpenter laughed.
However, naturally, this sparked a bit of backlash with people online, claiming she was insensitive and a bit problematic. Amidst all of the back-and-forth bickering amongst social media users, Carpenter wanted to clear things up on her end. In a post on X, she responded to a fan’s disappointment by apologizing and stressing that she didn’t really grasp what was happening in the moment. Because she didn’t see or hear them fully, her instinct was to just make light of the situation.
Sabrina Carpenter Apologizes for Insensitive Response to Cultural Celebration
“My apologies I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. my reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better!” Carpenter admitted. “Now i know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
The replies are a pretty mixed bag. Some people aren’t buying her reasoning, not accepting the apology and stewing in their anger. Meanwhile, others are more accepting and were inclined to defend Sabrina Carpenter. “Another case study in why you NEVER publicly apologize. Internet mobs don’t care, they just want to hurt you, and an apology is their excuse to go even harder now you’ve admitted fault,” one person responded.
All in all, the night’s performance worked out in her favor. Plenty of celebrity cameos made for a fun and breezy night. Moreover, she accomplished the ambition she had for the show. When talking to Marc Jacobs for an interview, Sabrina Carpenter teased her grand plans for Coachella.
“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,” she said at the time.
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