Live television always carries a bit of risk — especially when it comes to Saturday Night Live.
But this weekend, pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter took that risk to another level when she accidentally (or maybe intentionally) dropped the F-bomb twice during her live musical performance.
The 26-year-old singer, who impressively pulled double duty as both host and musical guest, left viewers — and NBC’s censors — in disbelief after her explicit lyrics aired without a single bleep on the East Coast broadcast.
The Moment That Got Everyone Talking
During her performance of “Nobody’s Son” from her new album Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina confidently sang the line, “He sure f**ked me up,” not once but twice.
The expletives aired loud and clear during the East Coast and Peacock simulcasts, before NBC rushed to clean things up for the West Coast broadcast and later uploads on YouTube and Hulu.
Fans watching in real time couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Within minutes, social media was flooded with reactions — some laughing, some cheering, and others wondering if NBC was about to face a hefty fine.
“SABRINA SAYING F–K UNCENSORED LIVE ON SNL IS KILLING ME,” one fan joked on X.
“Oh NBC about to be fined so bad for letting Sabrina say f–k twice on SNL,” another quipped.
How It Slipped Past NBC’s Censors
According to Variety, the shocking moment was likely caused by a miscommunication with NBC’s live censors, who typically run SNL with a short delay to prevent exactly this kind of situation.
For whatever reason, that delay didn’t kick in during Sabrina’s live East Coast performance — though the West Coast version had the audio fixed.
Carpenter’s unfiltered moment came during her second musical number, which featured a striking martial-arts-themed stage setup.
Earlier in the night, she had performed her hit single “Manchild.”
A Playful and Self-Aware Host
Even before the f-bombs flew, Sabrina had fans laughing during her opening monologue, where she playfully poked fun at her own image as a bold and confident pop star.
“Everyone thinks of me as this, like, horndog pop star,” she joked. “But there’s really so much more to me.
I’m not just horny — I’m also turned on and sexually charged. And I love to read.”
She even took the opportunity to address her racy album cover, which shows her on all fours with someone tugging her hair.
Laughing off the backlash, she told the audience that people had it all wrong.
“If you zoom out, it’s clearly a picture from the 50th anniversary special,” she said.
“Bowen Yang was just helping me up by the hair after Martin Short shoved me out of the buffet line.”
Sabrina’s History With Unfiltered Moments
This wasn’t Sabrina’s first time stirring things up on live TV. Just a few months earlier at the 2025 MTV VMAs, she shocked the audience when she dropped the F-word during her acceptance speech for Best Album.
“So to get to be a part of something that brings you light, makes you dance, and makes you feel like the world is your f***ing oyster — I’m so grateful,” she said on stage to roaring cheers.
Following in Famous Footsteps
While NBC tries to avoid these slip-ups because of potential FCC fines, Sabrina isn’t the first to cross that line on SNL.
She now joins a long list of stars — from Kristen Stewart and Sam Rockwell to Ariana Grande and even rock legends The Replacements — who’ve let an unbleeped curse word slip out live on air.
Fans Call It One of the Show’s Most Iconic Moments
NBC has yet to make an official comment, but that hasn’t stopped fans from calling the episode one of SNL’s most memorable in recent years.
Between her cheeky jokes, fearless lyrics, and genuine charm, Sabrina Carpenter proved she’s not afraid to push boundaries — even if it means making a few censors sweat in the control room.