‘Um, why?’: Sabrina Carpenter’s SNL performance is getting accused of cultural appropriation

Last weekend, Sabrina Carpenter hosted SNL but her performance Nobody’s Son, on a dojo set where she wore a gi, has got people talking about whether or not it was cultural appropriation.

The Manchild singer has been on a promotional tour ever since her album Man’s Best Friend dropped. Her latest SNL appearance had her both hosting and performing, including the usual SNL brand comedy skits.

For her performance of Nobody’s Son, Sabrina sang on a set of a fake dojo. She wore a sparkly gi – a traditional white uniform used for karate. During the performance, her backup dancers “fought” as she sang and occasionally joined in with the fighting as part of the choreography.

People are criticising Sabrina for this set and costume, especially because Nobody’s Child’s lyrics have nothing to do with karate or fighting in general.

British-Japanese musician Rina Sawayama posted an Instagram Story about the performance, sharing her opinion on the outfit. She also explained how it’s considered bad manners to wear shoes on a tatami, the traditional Japanese straw mat Sabrina and her dancers stand on during the performance.

“Big love to Sabrina, 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. Shoes on tatami is jail,” she said.

via Instagram

People are split on how to feel about this. Some think it’s not a big deal at all, and it’s being blown out of proportion, mostly by people who aren’t even Japanese.

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“I don’t think there’s masses of Japanese people who care about this,” one person on X said. “Sometimes a fun performance is just a fun performance. and it doesn’t need to be hyper analysed.”

“Only in 2025 do we get pop stars policing each other over shoe etiquette while the world’s falling apart. The outrage Olympics never end everyone’s desperate to be the moral referee instead of just making music,” said another post, with almost two thousand likes.

But other people agree that Sabrina’s performance is problematic.

“I’m Japanese, and yeah, we do care. Please don’t decide that for us,” said one post.

Another person agreed, saying: “People in the replies dragging Rina have no right to tell her how she should feel about her own culture. She has every right to be upset. the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

Sabrina hasn’t yet addressed this controversy, and the live performance already has over one million views.