Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘SNL’ Turn Draws Censorship Scramble and Cultural Sensitivity Critique

The unbleeped lyric was later muted on replays, underscoring wider scrutiny that now includes Rina Sawayama’s call for cultural care.

Overview

  • Carpenter hosted and performed on the Oct. 18 episode, with “Nobody’s Son” airing twice with the F-word unmuted on the East Coast broadcast and Peacock before NBC edited it for West Coast and digital uploads.
  • Japanese-British artist Rina Sawayama posted that the dojo-styled staging showed “shoes on tatami,” urging creative teams to approach cultural references with research, respect and care.
  • Coverage noted that wearing shoes on tatami mats contradicts Japanese etiquette, the specific detail Sawayama highlighted in her Instagram Story.
  • A brief microphone outage interrupted one sketch, prompting viewer complaints and social media speculation about a technical mishap.
  • Carpenter thanked SNL’s cast and crew in a follow-up post and is set to resume her Short n’ Sweet Tour in Pittsburgh on Oct. 23–24, as outlets discussed FCC fine precedent without any action reported.