Sabrina Carpenter's Grammy Awards Performance Sparks A Very Different Kind Of Backlash

Sabrina Carpenter is facing controversy of a very different nature following her performance at this year’s Grammys.

On Sunday night, the chart-topping star sang her hit Manchild during the 2026 Grammy Awards, delivering a show-stopping routine set in an and around an airport.

Towards the end of the performance, Sabrina was seen holding a white dove as she sang her final chorus, which has now sparked a furious reaction from animal rights groups.

Posting after the performance on Sunday, the organisation People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (Peta) branded Sabrina’s actions “stupid”, “slow” and “useless” – in a nod to the lyrics of Manchild – as well as “cruel”.

“Bright lights, loud noise, and handling cause fear and distress for a bird who belongs flying free in the open sky,” they said, adding: “Did Sabrina Carpenter really just bring a bird on stage in 2026?!

“The Manchild singer is giving childlike behaviour. Leave animals out of the Grammys.”

HuffPost UK has contacted Sabrina Carpenter’s team for comment.

Of course, this is far from the first time the Please Please Please singer has ruffled feathers with an awards show performance.

At last year’s Brits, she wound up sparking hundreds of complaints to Ofcom after opening the Brit Awards with a provocative medley of songs from her Short N’ Sweet album, sporting red lingerie and gyrating on a bed alongside some of her dancers.

Towards the end of the routine, she was also cosying up to a male dancer dressed as a royal guard, before slipping down out of shot, at which point he winked suggestively towards the camera.

She later lamented to Rolling Stone: “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more, and scrutinised in every capacity.

“I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now.”

During a subsequent appearance at last year’s VMAs, Sabrina made headlines with an on-stage display of solidarity with the trans community while performing her hit Tears.