Sabrina Carpenter‘s racy performance at the BRIT Awards has proved controversial, prompting some viewers to joke about OFCOM complaints.
Carpenter had already been named as the recipient of the Global Success Award going into the ceremony, and was also nominated for two further prizes for International Artist Of The Year and International Song Of The Year for ‘Espresso’, but lost out to Chappell Roan for both.
Her set last night (March 1) opened with a version of 2024 megahit ‘Espresso’, where the singer was joined by a troop of dancing King’s Guards, with the pop singer incorporating strains of ‘Rule Britannia’ into the track. “Hello Brits!” she declared as she descended the steps onto The O2 stage.
From there, she segued into a seductive performance of ‘Bed Chem’, dancing on a giant pink bed, alongside a team of backing dancers with their own boudoirs. One choice moment that has proved controversial saw her kneel in front of a male dancer, who winked at the camera as she disappeared offscreen.
She kicked off the night before the 9pm watershed, sparking social media debate about how appropriate the performance was. Some, like one user on X/Twitter who called it “iconic”, saw the funny side.
SABRINA CARPENTER 😭 pic.twitter.com/mAF72Kgjio
— 2000s (@PopCulture2000s) March 1, 2025
Others echoed the sentiment, writing: “Sabrina Carpenter doing Bed Chem pre-watershed? The ofcom complaints about that performance are gonna be through the roof but I enjoyed it. That’s my girl!”
However, many expressed that the provocative moments were “unnecessary”, with one viewer writing: “It’s like watching live pornography. It’s supposed to be a family show.” Check out more social media reactions below.
Sabrina Carpenter doing Bed Chem pre-watershed? The ofcom complaints about that performance are gonna be through the roof but I enjoyed it. That’s my girl! #BRITs pic.twitter.com/nIXKCfp1FS
— mindironalia.bsky.social 🐝🇹🇿 (@mindironalia) March 1, 2025
Lol is that opening offensive to British people?
— BADDEST ALIVE (@thetirekinge) March 1, 2025
Sabrina Carpenter has a lovely voice & is a stunning woman, why on earth does she feel the need to open her legs? It’s like watching live pornography. It’s supposed to be a family show! #TheBrits #BRITs #SabrinaCarpenter pic.twitter.com/Us4Fc7YC9O
— 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓷 𝓛𝓪𝓭𝔂 ❥🪬✡︎🕊 (@ThatLondonLady) March 1, 2025
It will definitely get complaints because it was broadcast before 9pm – which ITV knew and did it anyway 🤦♀️🤦♀️
— Tracey Davies (@miss_traceydav) March 2, 2025
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.
— Gemma Marshall (@Gemma_sparkle) March 1, 2025
If this was a male singer with dancers wearing bras & suspenders there would be uproar (Robbie suffered this & his dancers had more on) shouts of exploiting the girls , why can #sabrinacarptener get away with it . @BRITAwards #Brits Amazing staging
— Dave/David 🏴…🏳️🌈…🇪🇺…🇬🇧 (@therealdavewest) March 1, 2025
The end she appears to 'go down on' the soldier. The Beefeaters are highly respected and a stalwart of british military history. So may not have been appreciated by some people.
— Prophecy Girl (@LisaE102) March 2, 2025
Yes that is offensive. The uniforms are representative of our military and to sexualise this is on my opinion offensive
— Hazza (@Hazzambagain) March 2, 2025
sabrina carpenter the woman that u are !!! she ate at the brits getting the middle aged women pressed
— scar💝 LIV DAY (@enoughforlivies) March 1, 2025
She probably does, but didn’t comment on the outfit. Many artists wear leotards & bikinis which is fine. It’s the actual opening of the legs & sexual dance routine that I find unnecessary in a music performance which young kids watch.
— 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓷 𝓛𝓪𝓭𝔂 ❥🪬✡︎🕊 (@ThatLondonLady) March 1, 2025
Carpenter has addressed the way she leverages sexuality in her shows, having recently hit out at Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman’s comments about her, after Waterman named her as someone whose image he considered detrimental to women in an interview with The Sun, saying: “If you’re asking to be respected, don’t come on in a G-string,” before Stock dismissed Carpenter’s sexualised lyrics as “lazy”.
The ‘Please, Please, Please’ singer then responded in a follow-up interview with The Sun on Sunday, saying: “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.”
She added that women being judged on their appearance “isn’t something new”, saying: “Female artists have been shamed forever. 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. 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.”