At the 2025 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift made waves, but it wasn’t just her stunning red dress or her golden hair that caught everyone’s attention. It was her reaction to Sabrina Carpenter’s performance that truly stole the show.
The event, held on February 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, brought together some of the biggest names in music. Taylor, 35, appeared in a dazzling red sleeveless mini-dress, with her hair flowing loosely down her back.
Her energy was contagious as she sat in the audience, swaying along to Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of “Please Please Please.”
At one point, Taylor placed her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, her eyes closed as she moved to the beat. It was clear that she was feeling the music. But what really made people talk was what she did next.
She turned to her longtime friend and collaborator, Jack Antonoff, who had worked with Sabrina on the track, and shook his shoulders in excitement, caught up in the thrill of the moment.
Taylor’s animated reaction quickly became a hot topic online. Some fans loved her enthusiasm, calling it a show of deep support for her friend. One fan wrote on Instagram, “I love how she’s shamelessly herself even though she knows there’s cameras on her at all times.
Her undying support for her friends is so cute.” Another posted, “She’s so cute and supportive!”
But not everyone was impressed. Some viewers felt that Taylor’s attention-grabbing movements were taking away from Sabrina’s special moment. One Instagram user commented, “Can’t she just let someone else have the spotlight?”
Another said, “Entitled enough to think she doesn’t have to sit like everyone else.” On Facebook, some people felt the same way, with one person writing, “Inappropriate for her to draw attention to herself while Sabrina is performing. Immaturity.”
Another Facebook user complained, “There she goes, stealing the spotlight.”
The debate continued on X (formerly Twitter), with divided opinions. One tweet criticized Taylor’s actions, saying, “There ain’t a woman out there as attention-seeking as TS.” But others jumped to her defense.
One supporter tweeted, “I love how she’s shamelessly herself even though she knows there’s cameras on her at all times. Her undying support for her friends is so cute.”
Amidst the chatter about Taylor, Sabrina Carpenter was making her own headlines. The 25-year-old singer took the stage with an unforgettable performance that had the audience on their feet.
It was a night of firsts for Sabrina, who entered the Grammy ceremony with six nominations and walked away with two wins. She won Best Pop Vocal Album for her album Short n’ Sweet and Best Pop Solo Performance for her hit song “Espresso.”
Sabrina was also nominated for Best New Artist, Album of the Year for Short n’ Sweet, Song of the Year for “Please Please Please,” and Record of the Year for “Espresso.” With these accomplishments, it was clear she had secured her spot among the top stars of the pop world.
After winning Best Pop Vocal Album, Sabrina gave an emotional speech. Out of breath from her high-energy performance, she said, “I’m still out of breath from the performance, so I really was not expecting this.”
She couldn’t hide her excitement as she looked around at the other nominees, saying, “And all of those nominees that were just on the screen are some of my favorite artists in the world, and I can’t believe I’m nominated against them or even in this room right now.”
As a first-time Grammy winner, Sabrina couldn’t hold back her emotions. “This is, whoo, my first Grammys, so I’m gonna cry,” she admitted, holding up a napkin where she had written down the names of people she wanted to thank.
“But I wrote names so I wouldn’t forget on this napkin, and now it’s probably all messed up.”
Even though she was nervous, Sabrina thanked the Recording Academy and the music community, saying, “I feel so lucky to be able to come together and do something so special and beautiful and celebrate music.”
She also took a moment to thank her family, especially her mom, “My mom, for driving me to every voice lesson,” and gave a shout-out to her dad and sisters.
Wrapping up her speech, Sabrina playfully added, “And what the hell—I don’t know if I’m allowed to say ‘hell,’ but I’ve said it three times now. So thank you, this is so special to me, and Short n’ Sweet means the world.”
She ended with a message to her producers: “I love you guys, you have no idea how much I love you and how much this album means to me. Thank you, holy [expletive]! Bye!”
In an interview the next day, Sabrina opened up about the whirlwind of emotions she experienced when she heard the Grammy nominations. “The day of the Grammy nominations… when they came out, I was on my tour bus. It was an explosion of happiness, tears, laughter. It was euphoric,” she said.
She also reflected on the success of her album, saying, “This album doing what it’s done has been fulfilling to me because I am just being myself with maybe bigger hair.” It was a huge milestone for her, a moment that felt like the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.
Sabrina’s rise to fame has been a journey of persistence and passion. In an interview with Time months earlier, she had talked about her dreams coming true.
“There were so many things I dreamt of doing as a little girl that I got to do this year that felt like such a cool, sweet, little bucket-list moment for my younger self,” she shared. Looking back at her Saturday Night Live debut, she added with a laugh, “I literally threw up when I found out about SNL. Not to be graphic.”
For Sabrina, performing at the Grammys was another dream come true. “If I could perform at the Grammys,” she had said, “I think I would throw up with excitement.” And just months later, her dream became reality.
As Sabrina basked in the glory of her success, Taylor’s lively reaction continued to spark conversation. Was Taylor’s excitement overshadowing Sabrina’s moment?
Or was it simply a genuine display of support from a close friend? Either way, both Taylor and Sabrina left their mark on the 2025 Grammy Awards, and their friendship and achievements are sure to be remembered for years to come.
