Sabrina Carpenter’s Grammy Awards performance of Manchild sparked backlash from PETA, with the animal rights group slamming the use of a live bird as “stupid and cruel.”
The Please Please Please singer sparked a backlash as she played with a white dove in the palm of her hand while performing hit single Manchild at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Her bizarre act was condemned by officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who referenced the lyrics to Manchild in a statement posted on X.
They wrote, “Hey Sabrina, bringing a live bird onto the Grammys stage is stupid, slow, useless … and cruel!”
The group mentioned, “Bright lights, loud noise, and handling cause fear and distress for a bird who belongs flying free in the open sky.”
The message added, “Did [Sabrina Carpenter]really just bring a bird on stage in 2026?! The Manchild singer is giving childlike behavior. Leave animals out of the #grammys!”
Carpenter ablaze a stage in a pilot-themed outfit, consisting of a white corset-style bodysuit with a plunging neckline, knee-high lace-up boots and a pillbox-style cap.
Speaking with the audience, the Espresso singer said, “Hey Grammys, how ya doing? It’s your captain Sabrina speaking,” adding, “If you came here tonight for a little validation, stand up and I want you to put your hands together!”
For her bold performance, Carpenter emerged from a moving baggage conveyor belt into a faux terminal branded “SCA” for Sabrina Carpenter Airlines.
Manchild, the lead single from Carpenter’s 2025 album Man’s Best Friend, widely believed to reference her brief but headline-grabbing romance with Irish actor Barry Keoghan.
