The U.K. just had its biggest night in music, and while Charli XCX dominated the awards, Sabrina Carpenter got a crash course in British television rules.
On Saturday, March 1, the 25-year-old former Disney star opened the 2025 BRITs with a medley of “Espresso” and “Bed Chem.” Dressed in a red sparkly outfit, Carpenter danced on a giant pink bed and knelt in front of a male dancer — who winked at the camera as she disappeared from view.
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The risqué moment, which aired before the U.K.’s 9 p.m. watershed (the time when mature content can be broadcast), sparked mixed reactions.
Sabrina Carpenter’s complete performance at the 2025 #BRITs in London!
pic.twitter.com/70dVYM21z1
— 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 ⚚ (@shinewid_SAM) March 3, 2025
“It’s like watching live pornography. It’s supposed to be a family show!” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“I find this hilarious. It’s Sabrina Carpenter. What did they think would happen? Her whole persona is built around sex. If you didn’t want your kids to watch, you shouldn’t have let them,” another user explained.
“You can be sexy like Dita Von Teese and Also ELEGANT. Sabrina disappointed me,” chimed in a third.
“It’s definitely not meant to be a family show. Don’t you remember the fights, drunken expletives, drugged up performances etc in the past. It’s toned down loads in the last few years. It’s hardly live pornography.. it’s very suggestive and sexy dancing,” someone else pointed out.
Carpenter, however, isn’t losing sleep over the backlash. The next day, she addressed the drama with a six-word Instagram caption: “I now know what watershed is!!!!”
The “Please, Please, Please” hitmaker has never shied away from embracing her own confidence. In 2024, she told TIME, “You’ll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing. And to that I just say, don’t come to the show and that’s OK.” She added, “The scariest thing in the world is getting up on a stage in front of that many people and having to perform as if it’s nothing. If the one thing that helps you do that is the way you feel comfortable dressing, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”
Catch Carpenter on her Short n’ Sweet tour this fall, with new North American dates added.
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
