Sabrina Carpenter warned Barry Keoghan—and she even said please, please, please.
However, after their romance ended late last year, Sabrina included a nod to the breakup in her latest “Please Please Please” music video alongside Dolly Parton, possibly sharing a glimpse into where she stands with the Saltburn actor.
In the video accompanying the new duet alongside the country icon, she seemingly continues the story that began in the original version. As Dolly and Sabrina sing together behind the wheel of a pick-up truck, they are interrupted by police sirens, before the camera pans to what they are storing in the bed of the vehicle: a man.
Intentionally or not, the man—who is tied up with a sack over his head—is wearing a white tanktop and black slacks, an identical outfit to Keoghan’s costume from the original song. And, as Sabrina fans will remember, the first video ends with the “Taste” singer handcuffing Barry, 32, and duct taping his mouth, before planting a kiss over the adhesive.
While Sabrina, 25, is known to continue storylines between videos—“Espresso,” released April, ends with her getting arrested, while “Please Please Please,” released in June, begins with her getting bailed out of jail—it also of course alludes to the couple’s less-than-cordial breakup.
Indeed, not long after news of the split became public, Barry—who shares 2-year-old son Brando with ex Alyson Sandro—implored fans to take it easy on him amid backlash from Sabrina’s fans over the rumored cause of their split.
“I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond too [sic],” the Banshees of Inisherin star wrote on X Dec. 7. “I have to respond now because it’s gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed.”
He continued, “The messages I have received no person should ever have to read them. Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”
Sabrina, for her part, has been more private in her reaction to the split, though perhaps she’s letting “Please Please Please” provide some context.
Keep reading for more of the “Slim Pickins” singer’s most iconic clapbacks…
Talkin’ Nonsense
Not everyone is a fan of Sabrina Carpenter’s love for lace and provocative lyrics. In fact, music producer Pete Waterman labeled the “Nonsense” singer’s live shows as downright “offensive.”
“They’ve won all of their freedoms and their rights, women,” Waterman said in January 2025. “They fought for everything they’ve got, and now they’re throwing it away, is the way I would look at it.”
And in her response, the Girl Meets World alum did not hold back.
“My message has always been clear,” Sabrina said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, “if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”
“Female artists have been shamed forever,” she continued. “In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna—and now it’s me.”
Can’t Blame a Girl for Clapping Back
To the critics calling Sabrina’s renowned “Juno” poses and raunchy lyrics “lazy,” Sabrina countered their “totally regressive” opinions.
“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,” the pop star explained to The Sun. “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.”
She’s Working Late, ‘Cause She’s a Singer
During Sabrina’s Short n’ Sweet Tour, critics on social media shared their suspicions that the “Espresso” singer was lip-syncing during her shows.
“Hate to say it,” one person wrote in an October 2024 TikTok video, “but 30 percent lip singing [sic] 30 percent backing track [and] 40 percent singing.”
The Disney alum, however, was quick to shoot down the claims.
“I sing live at every show 100 percent,” Sabrina declared in the comments. “Would you like to speak to my audio engineers?”
Keeping it Short n’ Sweet
It doesn’t take many words for the Grammy nominee to silence her haters.
In June 2024, a keyboard warrior shared their disapproval of Sabrina’s hit single “Please Please Please.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone fumble a second single this hard,” the user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “my goodness.”
But as soon as the tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, she posted side-by-side screenshots of the rankings alongside the comments with the caption, “ohhhh I’m a grateful grateful grateful girl.”
It’s Funny and It’s Ironic
After receiving backlash for her iconic “Feather” music video filmed in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—which she had received permission from the church to film in—Sabrina’s story differed from the one Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello told in his official statement.
“The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property,” the parish’s then-pastor said in his November 2023 statement, “which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
But Sabrina refuted his claims with one simple sentence.
“We got approval in advance,” Sabrina quipped to Variety at the time, “and Jesus was a carpenter.”
What a Coincidence
While onstage at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in September 2024, Sabrina alluded to her “Feather” music video scandal having played a part in New York mayor Eric Adams’ federal investigation at the time. The pastor that approved Sabrina’s “Feather” music video—though he said he was “not aware” of its inappropriate content—was demoted, leading to “broader administrative review” of the parish.
In their review, the diocese told the New York Post that they may have found a connection between the Parish and Adams involving business dealings between the pastor and senior figures within Adams’ embattled administration. (The mayor was charged with bribery and wire fraud scheme in the ongoing case, to which he has pleaded not guilty.)
And to that, Sabrina said, “Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted or…”
