Sabrina Carpenter is responding after a moment from her Coachella performance sparked backlash online.
The singer performed during the opening weekend of the 2026 festival and briefly reacted to a loud sound coming from the crowd. At the time, Carpenter appeared confused and referred to the noise as “weird” while speaking onstage.
Clips of the exchange quickly spread across social media, where some viewers said the sound was a traditional Arabic ululation known as a zaghrouta.
Several users criticized Carpenter’s reaction, calling it “insensitive” and “Islamophobic.”
Carpenter later addressed the controversy in a statement shared on X.
Sabrina Carpenter DID NOTHING WRONG!! So therefore, her apology is unnecessary.
She had a genuinely hilarious reaction.
You may have forgotten that Sabrina was once an actress, and one that was actually funny. She’s always been quirky and humorous and now ya’ll are trying to… pic.twitter.com/FHIXfMdamr
— Brandon Collins (@obrandoncollins) April 13, 2026
“My apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly,” she wrote. “my reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better!”
The “Espresso” singer added that she has since learned more about the sound that prompted the misunderstanding.
“now i know what a Zaghrouta is!” Carpenter wrote. “I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
The star first gained attention starring as Maya Hart on Girl Meets World before launching a successful music career. She has released several albums, including Emails I Can’t Send and Short n’ Sweet, and scored major hits with songs like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Carpenter has also appeared in films such as Work It and Emergency.