It wasn’t Sabrina Carpenter who stepped onto the stage to give a high-energy performance at the 2026 Grammys. It was “Captain Sabrina.”
But one element of her show was called “stupid” and “cruel,” triggering massive backlash.
A major welfare group went as far as accusing her of “childlike behavior” during the performance.
It was “Captain Sabrina” who stepped onstage to perform at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 1
Highlights
- Sabrina Carpenter performed at the 2026 Grammys in her “Captain Sabrina” avatar.
- She gave an airport-themed performance of her hit song Manchild from her album Man’s Best Friend.
- A major welfare group condemned her performance, calling her “stupid” and “cruel.”
Image credits: Brianna Bryson/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter gave an airport-themed performance of her hit song Manchild from her album Man’s Best Friend, which was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on February 1.
The 26-year-old stepped onstage in an all-white suit to sing and dance against an airport backdrop.
The performance included a working baggage claim, with dancers dressed as passengers and airport staff. A lone astronaut and surgeon were also part of the dancing crew.
Image credits: Entertainment Tonight
“Hey Grammys! How are you doing? It’s your Captain Sabrina speaking,” Sabrina yelled to a roaring audience during her performance.
“If you came here tonight because you need a little validation, stand up, and I want you to put your hands together! Come on, let’s go,” she continued.
“Hey Grammys! ... It’s your Captain Sabrina speaking,” she yelled during the airport-themed performance
Image credits: Stewart Cook/Getty Images
At one point, a white dove was pulled out of a top hat, sparking intense criticism from animal welfare group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
The animal was seen flapping in the Espresso singer’s grasp as the performance came to an end.
Image credits: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
“Hey Sabrina, bringing a live bird onto the Grammys stage is stupid, slow, useless … and cruel!” the organization wrote next to a picture of the singer with the bird in her hand.
“Bright lights, loud noise, and handling cause fear and distress for a bird who belongs flying free in the open sky,” the message continued.
PETA called the singer out for brandishing a dove as the song concluded
Image credits: peta
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The organization also demanded that animals be kept “out of the Grammys.”
“Did Sabrina Carpenter really just bring a bird on stage in 2026?!” PETA wrote in its caption. “The Manchild singer is giving childlike behavior. Leave animals out of the #GRAMMYS!”
The internet was left divided over the unassuming dove being included in the performance.
“Does the bird know it’s being held by THE princess sabrina carpenter,” said one fan, while another warned, “Sabrina carpenter peta is coming for you……”
The animal welfare group accused the Espresso singer of “giving childlike behavior”
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“PETA was probably frothing at the mouth when they saw Sabrina with a bird. They'd do anything to be relevant,” one quipped.
“Do u have nothing better to do?” read another comment on PETA’s post.
Another wrote, “Sabrina ‘evil’ carpenter ab*ses innocent bird in her manchild #GRAMMYs performance.”
“Okay but why was Sabrina Carpenter just straight-up ab*sing a dove on live TV at the #GRAMMYs,” read another comment. “She pulls this poor bird out of a suitcase during her Manchild performance like it's a magic trick gone wrong... bird looks terrified, wings flapping everywhere, and she just yeets it around for the bit??”
One asked the singer to “stop exploiting animals.”
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Sabrina, who won two Grammys last year, found herself nominated in six categories this year: Record Of The Year (Manchild), Album Of The Year (Man's Best Friend), Song Of The Year (Manchild), Best Pop Solo Performance (Manchild), Best Pop Vocal Album (Man's Best Friend), and Best Music Video (Manchild).
However, she left empty-handed at the end of the show.
The singer was nominated in six categories at the 2026 Grammys but walked away empty-handed
Image credits: Recording Academy / GRAMMYs
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The singer dropped Manchild last summer, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her fourth song to earn a spot in the Top 10.
She stirred quite a buzz when she got on her knees to pose for the album cover of Man’s Best Friend last year, which included a man pulling a fistful of her hair in a tight grip.
“It was about how people try to control women, and how I felt emotionally yanked around by these relationships that I had, and how much power you’re allowing yourself to give them,” she told Variety in December.
Image credits: Entertainment Tonight
Sabrina, a former child star who had her breakout role on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, addressed the backlash she receives while singing about intimacy and bedroom fun in her songs.
“I think it wouldn’t matter so much if I weren’t a childhood figure for some people,” she told the outlet. “But I also can’t really help that. It’s not my fault that I got a job when I was 12, and you won’t let me evolve.”
“I always thought, ‘When I grow up, then I get to embrace my s**uality more,’” she added. “...I wish I’d had more open conversations about all of it when I was younger, but people feel too scared to talk about it.”
“So tone deaf to put a live animal onstage for benefit of this useless human stuff! Pointless, narcissistic nonsense,” read one comment online
