“It wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure for some people,” the singer said of her NSFW lyrics.

Sabrina Carpenter blames Disney fame for criticism of her sexy lyrics: ‘Not my fault I got a job when I was 12’

"It wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure for some people," the singer said of her NSFW lyrics.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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December 3, 2025 2:50 p.m. ET

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Sabrina Carpenter onstage for her Sweet N' Short tour and starring in 'Girl Meets World' as Maya Hart. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/Getty; Bruce Birmelin/Disney Channel via Getty

Please, please, please don't try to put Sabrina Carpenter in a box.

The "Manchild" singer is once again taking a stand against those who take issue with her risqué lyrics. And this time, Carpenter is offering a theory about the true source of all the outrage: some people just can't move on from the fact that she once played an adorably rebellious preteen on Disney Channel's *Girl Meets World*.

"I think it wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure for some people," Carpenter told *Variety* of the backlash surrounding her NSFW lyrics. "But I also can’t really help that. It’s not my fault that I got a job when I was 12 and you won’t let me evolve."

Now eight years removed from the conclusion of the *Boy Meets World *spinoff, Carpenter is better known for her pop music career full of playful lyrics, raunchy subtext, and sexually suggestive choreography. But that doesn't mean she has zero limits. Carpenter was quick to shut down the notion people have that, "'Oh, she’ll say and do anything,'" clarifying that she holds plenty back when it comes to the intimate details of her personal life.

Sabrina Carpenter on Disney Channel's 'Girl Meets World'.

Bruce Birmelin/DISNEY CHANNEL via Getty

"I really do have boundaries with myself — you’d be surprised!” she shared. “I’m just actually living my life, and you’re watching. If you don’t like it, it’s not for you. If you do like it, let’s play.”

While Carpenter certainly wouldn't be the first Disney alum to shed the Mickey Mouse-adjacent good girl image with a risqué music career, she insists that she isn't purposely reinventing herself. She's just having fun and embracing her natural sense of humor. And as for the kids, Carpenter said she knows from experience that young fans have the capacity to pay attention to the lyrics they understand and ignore the ones that will make sense later in life.

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Looking back on female artists who sang about sex when she was a kid, Carpenter said she never felt like their music made her grow up too fast. "I always thought, ‘When I grow up, then I get to embrace my sexuality more. I don’t even know what that means yet!,'" she shared. "I wish I’d had more open conversations about all of it when I was younger, but people feel too scared to talk about it.”

Carpenter also made it clear that she won't be censoring her image just to make others comfortable.

"I want to remember this as a time in my life when I really didn’t hold back. I wore the skirts I wanted to wear; I spoke about things in a way that I won’t regret, because I was very open. I think that’s all that matters," she concluded.

Sabrina Carpenter performs on stage during the Short N' Sweet Tour held at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 29, 2024 in New York City.

Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone via Getty

The "Nobody's Son" singer has previously addressed backlash surrounding the provocative content in her shows and songs, laughing off the criticism and pointing out that she isn't the one who decides which of her songs will be a hit.

"It’s always so funny to me when people complain. They’re like, 'All she does is sing about this.' But those are the songs that you’ve made popular," Carpenter told *Rolling Stone* earlier this year. "Clearly, *you* love sex. You’re obsessed with it."

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During her* Short N' Sweet* tour — which began in September 2024 and concluded just last month — fans became especially enamored with the staging of "Juno," a pop tune named after the 2007 teen-pregnancy film of the same name. At one point in the song, Carpenter would sing the lyrics, "Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?" before simulating a sex position, which would change every night.

Video of the segment always made its way online, and the moment became a consistent viral hit. It also became a subject of some controversy, with some arguing that it was too inappropriate for a concert that children were attending.

Towards the end of the tour, Carpenter pointed out that "Juno" is just one song in a 90-minute set. "If you come to the show, you’ll [also] hear the ballads, you’ll hear the more introspective numbers," she argued, adding that she "can't control" which moments become viral.**

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