Former Disney star Sabrina Carpenter shocked fans with her latest explicit dance move at her recent concert in Paris.
During every show on her “Short n’ Sweet” world tour, the 25-year-old singer simulates a different sexual position while performing her hit “Juno.” Carpenter shows off each move when she sings the lyrics, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?”
On Monday night, Carpenter paid tribute to the City of Lights when she and two male backup dancers simulated a three-way sex act, known as the Eiffel Tower.
In a photo from the performance that the account Buzzing Pop posted on X, Carpenter, who donned a sparkly green and silver halter top with a matching miniskirt, was seen bending over between the two dancers who leaned into her and held hands above her. The position is meant to emulate the structure of Paris’ famed historical landmark.
SABRINA CARPENTER BLASTS CRITICS OF HER SKIMPY TOUR OUTFITS: ‘DON’T COME TO THE SHOW’
The post divided fans when it went viral on social media, with some fans slamming Carpenter’s performance as too inappropriate for the younger members of her fan base, while others contended that she had the right to evolve as an artist after transitioning to adulthood.
Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR weighed in on the challenges that child stars face when trying to shed their former images as they grow up. He pointed out that young performers often become tightly associated with the roles that made them famous and fans can have a difficult time letting go of the characters that they loved.
“There are two ‘doomsday’ scenarios for every entertainer: being typecast and not getting call-backs,” Eldridge told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “For young stars (like from Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club and others), getting typecast becomes an almost paradoxical situation: you eventually age out of the role that created your stardom, yet you are too closely tied to that character/role to reliably be cast for other roles.
“It’s the entertainment equivalent of purgatory — you can’t stay here, and you can’t go anywhere else.”
The PR expert explained that some former child stars and teen idols deliberately rebrand by embracing a persona that is the opposite of their established images, but warned that the move can backfire.
“Often times, you’ll see a former child star try to forcibly break the Disney paradigm, either by doing racy photo shoots, or they try to force a rebrand that is a marked departure from their youth-based identity and presumed family-friendly values,” Eldridge said.
“Unfortunately for the entertainer, this is rarely met with approval or support from the fan base that still sees them as the adorable young actor who delivered the memorable one-liners,” he said.
Eldridge told Fox News Digital that when a rebrand is unsuccessful, the fault can lie with the teams behind the stars who failed to adequately prepare for their smooth transition to a more mature identity that will be accepted by the public.
“Sadly, agents and managers rarely establish a ‘brand arc’ for child stars to evolve into new roles, as they age up (or age out) in Hollywood,” he said.
“Miley Cyrus is a good example of someone who managed to carve her own path and, in so doing, remain true to her original fan base, while establishing a brand-new audience that has embraced her as an adult. Again, simple, not easy.”
While Carpenter’s career has recently reached new heights, her provocative Paris stunt has drawn a mixed reaction from fans.
The ambivalence was evident in the replies to Buzzing Pop’s post about Carpenter’s performance, where X users expressed both outrage and support.
“I’m sorry but there are little kids in the audience and this is taking it way too far,” one commented, while another added, “Promoting sex positions to a primarily underage age audience? I stan her but this isn’t ok…”
“‘Blame the parents,’ but why isn’t there an age limit on her concerts? If it’s not meant for kids, why are they still taking their money and letting them in? Just make it 18+ already,” a social media user argued.
However, other social media users came to Carpenter’s defense, noting that the two-time Grammy nominee should be allowed to evolve from the early days of her career.
Carpenter rose to fame at the age of 14 when she was cast in the Disney Channel TV series “Girl Meets World.” She starred in the leading role of Maya Hart in the “Boy Meets World” spinoff from 2014 to 2017.
The pop star has openly embraced a much more mature image since becoming an adult. In August 2024, Carpenter released her sixth studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” which topped the Billboard 200 chart for three consecutive weeks and has been certified platinum.
Many of the songs on the album feature overly sexual lyrics and racy innuendos. Carpenter’s defenders on X argued that it is the parents’ responsibility to verify that her music and performances are age-appropriate for their children.
“People who take their kids to a Sabrina Carpenter concert after she’s been VERY open and does this sort of position at EVERY concert that is VERY publically (sic) available to see have no right to say anything against it,” one fan wrote.
“If you bring your kids to her shows that’s on you.. have u LISTENED to her music,” another pointed out.
“Her music is not for children and if you as a parent don’t monitor what your kids are listening to that’s your fault,” one social media user commented, with another adding, “Her shows and her music are obviously targeted towards women in her age range and up.. if you think she’s making music for children you’re weird.”
Carpenter is far from the first Disney alum to face backlash after shifting away from their teen idol images. As Eldridge noted, Cyrus sparked controversy when the former “Hannah Montana” star debuted her song “Wrecking Ball” and its accompanying explicit music video.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“The Wizards of Waverly Place” alum Selena Gomez and “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens also came under fire when they starred in the R-rated crime comedy “Spring Breakers.”
However, PR and branding expert Eric Schiffer shared his view that former child stars don’t have the duty to maintain their kid-friendly images and target audiences indefinitely.
“Sabrina Carpenter’s risqué performances aren’t a betrayal of her young fans; they’re an invite for them to grow up alongside her,” Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Fox News Digital. “Sabrina Carpenter’s latest stage antics don’t just push boundaries — they bulldoze them. She traded Mickey Mouse carnage for shock, and it works.”
“Disney stars don’t sign lifetime contracts of innocence,” he noted. “Sabrina proves growing up isn’t a crime — even if she makes parents cringe and condemn her. In a deathmatch between the danger to Disney nostalgia and adult authenticity, Sabrina Carpenter chose authenticity. Fans and critics need to accept rebranding means childhood is gone.”
SABRINA CARPENTER BLASTS CRITICS OF HER SKIMPY TOUR OUTFITS: ‘DON’T COME TO THE SHOW’
Schiffer added, “Childhood fame shouldn’t be a life sentence; Disney stars should be free to reinvent themselves. Stars like Carpenter aren’t betraying their past — they’re reclaiming their future.”
Longtime Hollywood publicist Steve Honig noted that artists should ultimately be in control of their own brands, though he warned that they should understand the potential risks and rewards that could come with changing their images.
“Performers who at one point had a young following should not be obligated to keep catering to a young demographic,” he told Fox News Digital. “As these performers get older and their talent evolves, so does their audience.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Honig continued, “Performers have the right to decide the direction of their careers, just like parents have the right to decide if it’s appropriate content for their children. There are many performers who at one point were targeting a young demographic that have successfully rebranded and reinvented themselves with young adult and adult audiences.”
“Artists need to establish and understand their brand, accurately communicate that brand to audiences and then those audiences, or in some cases the parents of those audiences, get to decide if it’s appropriate for them,” he added.
“The artist, however, does need to understand there may be consequences to changing their image and, generally speaking, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”
Carpenter previously defended herself against blistering criticism from British songwriters and producers Pete Waterman and Matt Stock.
“To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive. She doesn’t need that,” Waterman told The Sun in January.
“She’s got great talent and yet the whole of the industry, these girls come out in as little as possible because they know they’re driving young boys to their websites,” he added.
While speaking with the outlet, Stock said he viewed Carpenter’s sexual lyrics as “lazy.”
“I would never try to write a lyric that said anything specific on a sexual level,” he said. “You’d always be allegorical or allude to it somehow. So I don’t like that. I think it’s a bad show and it’s lazy. You’re going to grab some form of attention by doing that.””
Days later, Carpenter fired back at the disparaging remarks during an interview with the same outlet on Sunday.
“Female artists have been shamed forever,” she said. “In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna — and now it’s me. It’s essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, in the way we dress, in the way we perform.”
“It is totally regressive,” Carpenter continued. “It’s like those who want to shame don’t make comments when I talk about self-care or body positivity or heartbreak, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexual side of my performances.”
“My message has always been clear — if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows,” the “Espresso” hitmaker said.
