The Ad-Lib That Got Sabrina Carpenter In Trouble With The BBC
In February 2023, the stunningly transformed Sabrina Carpenter appeared on BBC's Radio 1 "Live Lounge" segment, covering "Late Night Talking" by Harry Styles and performing a stripped-back version of her song "Nonsense." While the performances were well-received, with both Carpenter and the BBC promoting the set on social media, they were also temporarily pulled from the BBC's website, sparking speculation among fans of the former Disney star.
The re-uploaded version of Carpenter's performance notably lacks the ad-libbed outro for her song "Nonsense," which she tailors to shout out the location where she's performing. "I'm American, I am not British," the Pennsylvania native sang in the original version. "So BBC it stands for something different / This live lounge is just so lit because I'm in it." In the context of the network, BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation, but Carpenter is using the abbreviation to cheekily refer to a pornographic trope.
With Carpenter's custom BBC verse being removed from the re-uploaded version of her "Live Lounge" performance, it's believed that her suggestive outro may have stirred up some trouble with the network. In fact, the "Because I Liked a Boy" singer even referenced the temporary removal in a subsequent performance.
The singer has a tradition of raunchy outros
Sabrina Carpenter's raunchy "Nonsense" outros originated during her Emails I Can't Send tour, which kicked off in September 2022 and spanned 80 tour dates. In addition to carrying the tradition over to her Eras Tour shows, Carpenter has also continued the trend during media appearances, including her BBC performance.
The British network didn't explicitly state that the custom verse was the reasoning behind the initial removal of the "Live Lounge" recording from their website, but they did make a brief statement to the Mirror. "An unedited version of the video was briefly posted in error, and the correct version is now available for viewers to enjoy," a spokesperson said.
Carpenter herself didn't initially address the censoring, but she did reference the situation in another "Nonsense" outro, poking fun at the incident while performing at Newport on the Isle of Wight. "I thought he was the one but it was too short," she sang. "BBC don't like my sense of humor / Everybody's proper fit in Newport."
🎥 | 'Nonsense' + outro para Isle of Wight Festival 🇬🇧
"I thought he was the one but it was too short
BBC don't like my sense of hu-more
everybody's proper fit in Newport".@SabrinaAnnLynn 💌#IsleOfWightFestival pic.twitter.com/Ga4frVOT8J— Sabrina Carpenter Argentina (@CSabrinaArg) June 16, 2023
Carpenter's most memorable Nonsense verses
The BBC-inspired outro for Sabrina Carpenter's "Live Lounge" performance of "Nonsense" is pretty high-ranked among her ad-libbed verses, particularly because of the network's response to the segment. However, the "Feather" singer has plenty of viral renditions of the song spanning from her own Emails I Can't Send tour to her opening performances at Taylor Swift's Eras tour.
The singer started touring with Swift, whom Carpenter has a close-knit relationship with, during the Latin America leg of the Eras Tour. One of our favorite "Nonsense" outros is an ode to this star-studded friendship, with Carpenter singing, "I only date him if he pays my rent-ay / If you are a Swiftie you're mi gente / Let me hear you make some noise DF." If you're unfamiliar, "mi gente" translates to "my people," making the Mexico City verse a fun nod to Carpenter's own Swiftie status.
Another memorable ad-lib came during an LA stop on the Emails I Can't Send tour, with the singer iconically commenting on speculation about the song's subject. "I've got a personality but no t*ts / This song is not about Joshua Bassett / Los Angeles, your energy is big d*ck," she sang. If you're unfamiliar, the singer famously dated fellow former Disney star Joshua Bassett after his relationship with Olivia Rodrigo, with Carpenter's song "Skin" written in response to public drama between the trio. With this context in mind, this LA outro is a pretty memorable one.
@sabrinatourinfo "this song is not about joshuabassett" 💌 #nonsense #eicstour #emailsicantsendtour #sabrinacarpenter #eicsla #eicslosangeles 📹: prfctpovx on twitter