Sabrina Carpenter Brings Sass, Satire, and Sparkle as Host & Musical Guest on SNL
Sabrina Carpenter made her much-anticipated Saturday Night Live debut a memorable one — serving double duty as both the evening’s host and musical guest on October 18. And true to form, she leaned into her cheeky, hyper-glam image with a monologue that was equal parts scandalous and self-aware.
The 26-year-old singer kicked things off by addressing the viral reaction to the cover of her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, which depicts her provocatively posed on all fours, with someone yanking her hair. Rather than shy away, Carpenter tackled the controversy head-on — literally projecting the image on screen and joking that it had been “cropped” out of context. Her explanation? It was just Bowen Yang helping her up after Martin Short shoved her out of the buffet line at an SNL anniversary party.
Cue laughter.
But she wasn’t done. “Everyone thinks of me as this, like, horndog pop star,” she said with faux sincerity, before adding, “But there’s really so much more to me. I’m not just horny. I’m also turned on and I’m sexually charged.” She then declared her favorite book was the encyclopedia — “It’s so big and it’s hard…”
Continuing the blend of sass and satire, Carpenter set out to arrest a hot audience member — a recurring joke from her live shows — only to be upstaged by SNL legend Kenan Thompson. He mock-arrested her instead, citing 200 counts of impersonating an officer at her concerts. The bit ended with a clever twist, as Carpenter tried to charge him $200,000 for a cameo video.
Her musical performances of “Manchild” and “Nobody’s Son” carried the same seductive confidence, paired with slick choreography and stage presence that matched her pop persona to a tee.
In short: Sabrina didn’t just host SNL — she owned it.
Photo Credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com