Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama called out Sabrina Carpenter for cultural insensitivities during the October 18 episode of Saturday Night Live.
During the episode that Carpenter, 26, hosted and served as the musical guest for, she performed her songs “Manchild” and “Nobody’s Son” from her latest album, Man’s Best Friend.
While performing “Nobody’s Son,” Carpenter and backup dancers dressed in karate gis as two of the dancers sparred and danced on mats.
One day after the performance aired, Sawayama, 35, took to her Instagram Story to reflect on the situation. “Big love to Sabrina,” she wrote alongside a clip of the performance. “But fellow artists’ creative teams… if we are clearly referencing a culture please can you do so with the research, respect and care it deserves.”
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She then pointed out the dancers were wearing sneakers under their karate gis, writing, “Shoes on tatami is jail.”
It’s considered disrespectful in Japanese culture to wear outdoor shoes or indoor slippers on tatami mats, according to The Independent.
Another part of the “Nobody’s Son” performance that caught people’s attention was that Carpenter notably sang the uncensored version of the track.
The Girl Meets World alum sang the lyrics “he sure f**ked me up” twice during the live broadcast. The expletive was able to be silenced when the show aired on the West Coast, while the curse word is also censored in the YouTube version.
While Carpenter’s recent performance was met with mixed reviews, she has not publicly addressed fans who may be upset with her. However, she did reflect on her SNL hosting debut in an Instagram post shared on Monday, October 20.
“SNL double duty was the least I’ve slept in my life and the best reason to ever not sleep,” she captioned several photos from her time on the show. “Thank you [SNL creator] Lorne [Michaels], the amazing cast, crew, and writers for taking me in with open arms.”
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After Carpenter shared the post, several social media users took to the comments section to praise her performance. “You’re genuinely so funny on the show,” one person wrote, while another chimed in, “The comedic genius that you are.”
However, others made it clear they weren’t thrilled with the episode. “The worst SNL in history…maybe I am too old and not the target audience anymore. I had no idea who the no-talent host and musical host was-never had heard her name…clearly I [am] not in the know…that opening-WTF?” a third social media user wrote.”
