Sabrina Carpenter, The New Pop Princess
It seems like Sabrina Carpenter came out of nowhere. Maybe straight out of the perfect popstar factory. While some skyrocket to stardom overnight, others are Sabrina. It turns out this diva already has a lifetime of failures, love triangles, scandals, and conspiracies under her belt.
1. She Learned From Her Parents
Born in 1999, Sabrina Carpenter is the youngest of four daughters. Elizabeth and David Carpenter worked ordinary jobs, but couldn’t resist their creative side. Sabrina’s mom was part of a dance group, and her dad was part of a garage band. While Sabrina grew up watching her parents, she didn’t inherit the star gene from either of them.
2. She Has A Legendary Aunt
Sabrina’s first brush with star power didn’t come from her parents—she got it with her aunt Nancy Cartwright. Nancy is a legendary actress most known for voicing Bart Simpson. It’s no wonder Sabrina thought her aunt was “the coolest thing in the world” growing up.
But Nancy is also a notorious and high-ranking Scientologist, and this would prove to be a problem.
3. She Was A YouTuber
Sabrina wanted to be a star from the very beginning—and when she was only 10, she took matters into her own hands. She began posting videos of her singing her favorite songs, like “White Horse” by Taylor Swift on YouTube. She even entered singing competitions.
Soon enough, Sabrina’s dreams outgrew her small town. She knew what she had to do.
4. She Took A Huge Risk
Sabrina Carpenter was only 13 when she made the biggest and scariest leap of faith. The teenager ditched Pennsylvania for Hollywood. But she focused on acting instead of music. This was surprising. At the time, she believed “acting was just lying on camera”.
Music was still her dream. But she didn't pursue it for a depressing reason.
5. She Was A Struggling Actress
Sabrina had dreams—not delusions. She knew that most people weren’t interested in a preteen’s music. So she focused on acting. But that wasn’t easy either. For the first few years, Sabrina scavenged for any acting or singing opportunities. But all she got were minor and short-term gigs.
When she finally hit the jackpot, her life would never be the same.
6. She Was A Child Star
In 2013, Disney cast Sabrina Carpenter on their highly-anticipated new show Girl Meets World. She played Maya Hart, the main character’s best friend. It was her breakthrough role. And perhaps most importantly, the 14-year-old got her foot into the Disney door. That was all she needed.
7. She Got A Record Deal
Sabrina signed with Hollywood Records, Disney’s label, a year later. The 15-year-old even committed to a whopping five albums. It was a dream come true. After all, the Disney universe served as a launchpad for many artists. But it became a prison for Sabrina.
8. She Was Controlled
Sabrina knew exactly what she wanted to do: making music she loved. There was just one problem. As determined as she was, she was still a child—and people treated her like one. She admits having to “fight off a lot of voices and opinions and people controlling me when I was younger, whether that be in music or acting, because I was a child coming into this”.
This led to disaster.
8. She Was An Imposter
Sabrina Carpenter struggled, literally and creatively, to find her voice. Sabrina couldn’t help but feel like she was imitating someone else. This explains her musical success…or, at first, here lack thereof.
10. She Was A Struggling Singer
Under Hollywood Records, Sabrina churned out four albums: Can’t Blame A Girl For Trying (2014), Eyes Wide Open (2015), Evolution (2016), Singular: Act I (2018), Singular: Act II (2019). But nothing Sabrina did led to much commercial or critical success. She had big feelings about this.
11. She Felt Frustrated
To say that she felt frustrated by this point would be an understatement. She confessed “I had a different plan in my head of when it was all supposed to happen”. Sabrina already had the talent, the work ethic, and the industry connections.
Yet the success she dreamed of remained out of reach. Sabrina is many things, but a quitter was never one of them.
12. She Persisted
Sabrina Carpenter refused to consider Plan B: it was show biz or bust. Despite her struggles, Sabrina remained convinced that her hard work would pay off. She admits she’s a “freak manifester”. It was a matter of when, not if—even when her own team betrayed her.
13. She Was Sued
Show biz was vicious—and boy did Sabrina know it. Around the time she turned 18, she fired her management team. Their reaction was diabolical. They sued her—for a lot of money. But she emerged with a victory and inspiration.
Sabrina didn’t know much about lawsuits, but she sure knew music.
14. She Got The Last Word
Whether it’s ex-boyfriends or ex-managers, Sabrina’s music spared no one. In “Sue Me”, she claps back “That’s my shape, I made the shadow / That’s my name, don’t wear it out though”. This wasn’t the last time Sabrina wrote about personal drama. She was just getting started.
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15. She Got A Boyfriend
Sabrina Carpenter doesn’t necessarily love drama—but boy, does it love her. She began dating fellow Disney actor and singer-songwriter Joshua Bassett in 2020. And like many young adults, both had been in relationships before each other. No big deal, right? Except one of Joshua’s ex-girlfriends was Olivia Rodrigo. Here we go.
16. She Was In A Love Triangle
Joshua had a type: Olivia was also a Disney actress and singer-songwriter. On top of that, she and Joshua starred in the show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series together…as love interests. To make matters worse, they still had to work together after Joshua began dating Sabrina. It was about to get even messier.
17. She Didn’t Want To Get Involved
As it turns out, Olivia wasn’t over Joshua, and wanted the whole world to know. In January 2021, she sang about this heartbreak in her first single "Driver's License”. But this was normal: artists have always written about their love lives. Olivia's music wasn't Sabrina's business.
Well, it wasn't until Sabrina—and the world—heard the infamous verse.
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18. She Was Called Out
30 seconds into the song, Olivia sings “And you're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about”. The shoe fit: Sabrina Carpenter ticked off all the boxes. The “blonde girl” was Sabrina and everyone knew it.
And if they didn’t already know, they were about to.
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19. She Became Infamous
"Driver's license" hit number one, broke streaming records, earned rave reviews, and finally shined the spotlight on Sabrina Carpenter—just not in the way she’d always wanted. See, what really stung was that Olivia had surpassed Sabrina’s wildest dreams on her first try.
The song didn't just turn Olivia into an overnight pop star. It also turned Sabrina into an overnight villain.
20. She Was Cancelled
Sabrina's punishment didn’t fit her crime: all she did was date a boy with an ex. But the internet didn’t feel the same and made her the target of their witch hunt. Haters insulted and even threatened Sabrina. She confessed, “it’s getting to be a lot”. Tragically, it ended up being too much for Joshua.
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21. She Was Worried Sick
Amid all the drama, Joshua got a broken heart. Literally. Two days after the release of “Driver’s License,” Joshua was rushed to the hospital. He went into septic shock and heart failure. Doctors gave him a 30% chance of survival. Sabrina could only hold him and hope.
22. She Retaliated
Joshua survived, but so did the drama. Sabrina released “Skin” a few weeks after “Driver’s License”. It wasn’t just her first song after she left Hollywood Records and Disney. It wasn’t even just a song about the drama. Many view “Skin” as a diss track—and for good reason.
23. She Dropped A Diss Track
Sabrina Carpenter began the song wondering “Maybe you didn’t mean it / Maybe ‘blonde’ was the only rhyme”. But regardless, Sabrina declares that she refuses to let her “get under my, under my, under my skin / while he’s on mine”.
A lot of people already hated Sabrina, and “Skin” didn’t help at all. And then it got worse.
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24. She Was Called A Flop
“Driver’s License” was a hit, but “Skin”? Not so much. The song, like all of Sabrina’s albums and singles, failed to launch her to the next level—the success that Olivia nailed on her first try. To make matters worse, the younger singer wasn’t done with Sabrina and Joshua yet.
25. She Became The Villain
In May 2021, Olivia released more songs about the love triangle on her debut album SOUR. For example, she exposed Joshua for dating Sabrina only two weeks after their breakup. The internet continued its witch hunt, while Olivia continued to remain silent for seven months.
But amidst all the drama, Sabrina and Joshua couldn’t continue their romance.
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26. She Was Heartbroken
Sabrina Carpenter had already gone through breakups—but nothing like this. She confessed that Joshua was “truly my first heartbreak”. After the breakup, Sabrina broke down. This identity crisis was a long time coming. During the love triangle saga, internet sleuths uncovered Sabrina and Olivia’s unexpected history.
27. She Was Idolized
As it turns out, Olivia was a Sabrina fan girl. A huge one. The internet detectives discovered countless clips of Olivia fawning over Sabrina. Interviews, Instagram, live streams... you name it, and Olivia probably used it to fangirl over Sabrina.
This makes the internet pitting the girls against each other even worse. But then they shocked everyone.
28. She Broke The Internet
After all that drama, Sabrina and Olivia broke the internet at the 2022 Met Gala. All they had to do was be photographed having a conversation. It appears their relationship sweetened a year after SOUR. Sabrina manifested this in “Skin”: “I just hope that one day / We both can laugh about it”.
Sabrina’s personal life turned over a new leaf, and her career was no different.
29. She Found Her Voice
Sabrina’s life changed when she released emails i can’t send in July 2022. It may have been her fifth album, but Sabrina saw it as her first in many ways. emails i can’t send wasn’t just the first album she made without Disney or post Olivia/Joshua drama.
Above all, emails i can’t send is the first album that felt like her. So she bore her soul out.
30. She Exposed Her Dad
The album’s opener and title track “emails i can’t send” is about heartbreak—but not the one everyone expected. Sabrina Carpenter used this song to expose her dad's infidelity and its impact on her. She confessed this discovery destroyed her faith in love and made her terrified of being cheated on.
Sadly, that fear would later become reality.
31. She Told Her Truth
In the song “because i liked a boy” Sabrina Carpenter ditched the bravado of “Skin” and revealed how much hate she got, and how it got to her. She wasn’t a homewrecker, a loose woman, a rebound, or a thief. She was just a young woman in love.
If “because i liked a boy” cleared her name, then “Nonsense” introduced the real Sabrina.
32. She Made A Hit
Sabrina’s song “Nonsense” didn’t just become her first breakout and viral hit because it’s an earworm. People loved it for a much racier reason. Sabrina wrote a new, often dirty, outro every time she performed the song. The BBC even deleted the video of her performance thanks to her outro…about the other kind of BBC.
These performances revealed the real Sabrina: clever, witty, dirty, and hilarious.
33. She Was In Another Love Triangle
In “because i liked a boy”, Sabrina Carpenter declared “Dating boys with exes / No, I wouldn’t recommend it”. But she couldn’t help herself. In early 2023, Sabrina and Shawn Mendes began dating. He was exactly her type: a singer-songwriter with a singer-songwriter ex-girlfriend.
Second time’s the charm? Nope.
34. She Was Heartbroken
Sabrina and Shawn broke up by April 2023. We know this because Shawn was caught making out with his ex-girlfriend at Coachella. Ouch. But Sabrina didn’t just get mad. She got into the studio. And unfortunately for her, she also got into trouble six months later. The religious kind.
35. She Was Blasphemous
By this point in her career, Sabrina Carpenter had already suffered countless insults, but “blasphemous” was a new one. Sabrina wanted to film her “Feather” music video in a church, and she found a willing one. But the church immediately regretted it once the video dropped.
They didn't love the many scenes of Sabrina witnessing or participating in the deaths of men who wronged her. Or dancing around their coffins in skimpy outfits. Sabrina had a shocking response.
36. She Was Unapologetic
Despite the backlash for “Feather,” Sabrina Carpenter refused to apologize. Once again, she didn't think the punishment fit her crime. So the church's criticism didn't phase the rising singer-songwriter. She responded: "Jesus was a carpenter". Sabrina wanted to move on, but she accidentally got into a political scandal.
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37. She Exposed Corruption
A little backlash was easily dealt with—but there was a strange twist to the “Feather” drama. It turns out, the official who gave Sabrina the green light had shady dealings. Especially with Eric Adams, the disgraced mayor of New York City. And the "Feather" scandal might've been what put the church on the feds' radar.
When Sabrina returned for a show, she joked "Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted, or …"
38. She Got Her Dream Gig
Never meet your idols—unless you’re Sabrina Carpenter. Becoming an opener for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour between 2023 and 2024 was already her “childhood dream come true”. Then one night, Taylor invited her on stage to sing “White Horse” together.
It was the song that Sabrina covered on YouTube all those years ago. It gets even better.
39. She Made The Most Of It
The Eras Tour is the ultimate trial by fire. Sabrina Carpenter had no set, dancers, or props. But Sabina had to entertain a stadium filled with the fans anxiously awaiting one of the biggest pop stars in the world. And she nailed it. Sabrina continued the “Nonsense” outro tradition, and continued to go viral.
She became one of the most popular openers, but some are cynical about why Taylor picked her.
40. She Might Be A Pawn
As it turns out, many believe that Taylor and Olivia have an ongoing secret feud. As a result, they think Taylor made Sabrina an opener to make a dig at the younger star. And that revenge is a dish best served on stage. Sabrina doesn’t love conspiracies, but they sure love her. They got even worse from here.
41. She Made Controversial Deals
Enter, Kim Kardasian. There’s nothing secret about Taylor Swift and Kim’s feud. So when Sabrina Carpenter announced a new brand deal, Swifties were shocked. Sabrina was going to be the face of Kim’s brand Skims. It didn’t go over well. Sabrina may be an it-girl, but she’s also Taylor’s friend.
As a result, many Swifties accused her of betraying Taylor. She couldn’t ignore this.
42. She Defended Herself
Sabrina Carpenter didn’t just want to avoid crossing another pop star's fanbase. She wanted to avoid crossing this pop star’s fanbase. She declared “I've been very, very communicative with her about that situation, and I just love her so much and support her till the end”. Sabrina insists that she got Taylor’s blessing.
She probably did, as Taylor continued inviting her onstage. And Sabrina continued making headlines.
43. She Had A Meet Cute
Sabrina doesn’t recommend dating boys with exes, but she couldn’t help herself. In September 2023, sparks flew when Sabrina and Irish actor Barry Keoghan’s paths crossed at a fashion show. It didn’t take long for fans and paparazzi to catch them together all over the world.
But it turns out, Keoghan has a lot more than an ex-girlfriend.
44. She Made The Song of The Summer
It was a long time coming, but Sabrina’s patience and hard work paid off. “Espresso” came out in April 2024 as the first single off her album Short n’ Sweet. It was an instant hit—the song of the summer commercially and critically. But once again, some shady lyrics landed Sabrina into hot water.
45. She Was Criticized
As “Espresso” got more ears, people zoomed in on the line “Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya”, and it didn’t go over well. See, Barry didn’t just have an ex-girlfriend. He had a toddler son with his ex-girlfriend. It didn’t help that his ex liked a post about single moms raising kids alone.
While most lambasted Barry for jet-setting like a bachelor, Sabrina caught some flack too. She had to set the record straight.
46. She Was Delusional
Sabrina Carpenter insisted that “Espresso” wasn’t about Barry. In fact, she swore it’s not about anyone at all. Sabrina confessed that when she wrote the hit, “I didn’t have anyone I was even talking to. I’ve always been a bit delusional, in that sense”. But when Sabrina debunks one controversy, another takes its place.
47. She Faced Conspiracies
If people are going to do one thing to Sabrina, it’s create conspiracies. “Espresso” was too popular for some doubters. So they came up with a wild story. They spread theories that Island Records and Spotify were in cahoots to force the single down everyone’s throats.
And then, the conspiracies got even more outrageous.
48. She’s An Alleged Scientologist
Sabrina’s already the new face of pop music, but some think she’s more than that. They think she and Nancy have more than family in common. They speculate that Sabrina is also a Scientologist. One that Nancy and Tom Cruise want to become the infamous church’s ambassador.
But no one—and no conspiracy— could stop Sabrina’s rise.
49. She Became A Superstar
Sixth time’s the charm. When Sabrina released Short n’ Sweet in August 2024, she got everything she ever dreamed of and more. This included fans, critics, charts, and even records. But in classic Sabrina fashion, certain songs about ex-boyfriends and their ex-girlfriends created a stir.
50. She Exposed Her Exes
Most believe that most of Short n’ Sweet is about Shawn Mendes...and the shoe could fit. In "Sharpest Tool", she fixates on her boyfriend placing his phone face down. As Sabrina already confessed, she has trust issues. They only worsened after he went back to his ex "overnight". Sabrina didn't spare the ex-girlfriend either.
51. She Threw Shade
In “Taste”, Sabrina Carpenter addresses her ex-boyfriend's new girl. She taunts, “You'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you / If you want forever, and I bet you do / Just know you'll taste me too”. Most believe “Taste” is about Camila Cabello, Shawn’s on-and-off again girlfriend and fellow singer-songwriter. Here we go again.
52. She Was Shaded
Camilla refused to take Sabrina’s jabs lying down. She shared a TikTok of her singing “June Gloom” a few days after Short n’ Sweet dropped. In this song, Camila exposed her ex-boyfriend's ongoing obsession with her. She wonders, “If she's so amazing, why are you on this side of town?/ If you like her so much, what are you here trying to find out?”
53. She Had A Messy Relationship
It turns out Sabrina and Camila might have a lot more in common than they'd admit. In August 2024, rumors of a Sabrina and Barry split spread. But an inside source clarified that they were "on and off". This relationship faced its ultimate test once Sabrina went on tour.
54. She Sold Out
Sabrina Carpenter doesn’t do anything by halves. The Short n’ Sweet Tour, which started in September 2024, is no exception. Of course it was her first arena world tour. Of course it sold out. Of course it went viral. Of course it got rave reviews.
Sabrina made it look like she’s been commanding these venues and crowds her whole career. But she couldn’t impress everyone.
55. She’s An Alleged Lip-Syncer
When videos accusing Sabrina Carpenter of lip-syncing blew up on TikTok, she had to do damage control. She clapped back in the comments, saying: “I sing live every show 100% would you like to speak to my audio engineers”. But Sabrina knew talk was cheap. So she went even further.
56. She Silenced The Haters
It didn't take long for fans to realize that she sounded different at the next show. The reason why shut down all her critics. It turns out that she turned down the backing track so everyone could hear her live vocals loud and clear. Sabrina silenced the backing track and haters in one go.
On top of that, her fans raved about the change. But Sabrina’s critics weren’t done with her.
57. She Isn’t Child-Friendly
You can take the girl out of Disney, but you can’t take Disney out of the girl. Everything about Sabrina—from her lyrics to her performances—is mature. And that’s putting it lightly. But many parents still took their kids to the Short n’ Sweet Tour. They learned the hard way that Sabrina was a Disney star. Was.
58. She’s Raunchy
Her shows have too many explicit moments to list, but “Juno” is the most notorious one. After Sabrina sings “Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?”, she gets into said freaky position. Fans love the song, the performance, and the anticipation of new positions. But this love isn’t universal.
59. She Outraged Parents
When Sabrina Carpenter resolves one scandal, another pops up. This time, critics lambasted the 25-year-old for… singing and dancing like a 25-year-old. They implored her to think of the children. Sabrina’s response, like her album, was short and sweet. Don’t like, don’t come.
60. Her Hair Was Too Perfect
The album and tour is Short n’ Sweet, but the gossip is anything but. This time, it was her hair. At first, people revered Sabrina’s blonde and bouncy tresses. But the more shows Sabrina did, the more suspicious people became. How could Sabrina’s hair look so perfect after so much dyeing and heat styling? They realized the answer was right in front of them.
61. Her Hair Was Suspicious
Sabrina’s hair seemed too good to be true, and maybe it is. The rumor that Sabrina Carpenter wears wigs, or at least many extensions, spread like wildfire. A brave journalist even confronted her about it. Her response was peak Sabrina.
62. She Played Coy
Sabrina swore that she would “not confirm nor deny” the wig allegations. But she elaborated after the journalist pushed her. Sabrina declared “I don’t even know what a wig is—but I also don’t not know what a wig is”. Her cheeky and nonsensical response was classic Sabrina. But some rumors weren’t silly. They were heartbreaking.
63. She Had Breakup Rumors
In December 2024, a rumor that Sabrina Carpenter dumped Barry Keoghan spread like wildfire on social media. The details are heartbreaking. It claimed Sabrina discovered he’d been cheating on her for months. Since Sabrina is the target of endless gossip, many doubted this was true. Then the other woman got involved.
64. She Was Disrespected
Enter Breckie Hill. She’s an influencer and Barry’s alleged mistress. Breckie responded to the rumors by making a TikTok where she bragged about how her boyfriend would pick her over any girl…including his ex and celebrity crush. She even reposted gossip videos about these rumors.
65. She Broke Up
Then, an insider confirmed the breakup. The official story is that Sabrina and Barry “decided to take a break” because “they are both young and career-focused”. But if the cheating rumors are true, Barry better watch out.
66. She Ended Up On The Other Side Of Things
Sabrina and Barry may be done—but in a sad twist, the tables have turned on the so-called other woman. In the same way people once went after Sabrina, they’re now going after Breckie. After experiencing so much unwarranted hate, Breckie denied the rumors on Tiktok. “To put it simply for you all, no I did not get with Barry," she said, "I have never even encountered this man in my life."
And Breckie wasn’t the only one.
67. He Shot Back
Long before she ever knew the names Barry or Breckie, Sabrina Carpenter went through serious backlash. And as Breckie went through it, Barry did too—and it got so bad, he had to release a statement. He said people had not only been saying horrible things about him online, but that they’d taken it to disturbing levels in real life.
Barry said that people were camped outside his grandmother’s and his kid’s respective homes.
68. She Can’t Believe It
Sabrina Carpenter still has everything that matters: herself, her talents, a hard-won career, and millions of fans. She still can’t believe it either. Sabrina still checks that the sold out and screaming crowds are there for her. Patience is a virtue—and boy does Sabrina know it.
69. She Has No Regrets
Hindsight is 20/20. Sabrina's journey to the top was long, but it was for the best. Sabrina revealed “I feel so prepared for these moments. If I was even 17 or 18, I think I would have been way, way more nervous and intimidated”.
70. She Loves Control
A journalist asked Sabrina Carpenter whether she was “a tyrant in the studio”. Sabrina quipped “I’m a tyrant in life”—and she wasn’t entirely joking. She spent most of her career led and misled by others. Sabrina paid the price for it, but learned her lesson.