Sabrina Carpenter is facing backlash over her April Fools’ joke.
During her recent show in Salt Lake City, the “Nonsense” singer was in the middle of some improvised crowd banter when she decided to prank the audience by asking how to “get alcohol on Sundays” in the predominantly Mormon state. However, the question turned out to be a set-up for a sudden “pregnancy” announcement, which she then quickly clarified was nothing more than an April Fools’ joke. That said, a lot of people didn’t seem to find it very funny, to the point where the internet is still talking about the prank several days later.
Sabrina Carpenter pulled an April Fools’ joke, announcing she’s pregnant at last night’s show in Salt Lake City. pic.twitter.com/7wtZh1Ne3R
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 2, 2023
In response to a now-viral clip, numerous commenters called the moment “cringy” and some wondered why Carpenter would do a faux pregnancy announcement, arguing that “everyone” knows that this is “not an okay April fools joke.” Meanwhile, one person even shared a graphic that read, “PSA: Pregnancy Is NOT A Funny April Fools’ Joke,” prior to another critic condemning Carpenter’s “bad PR team.”
“Who told her this was a good idea?,” they wrote. “Incredibly insensitive to people who can’t get pregnant, have had miscarriages, or how about women currently pregnant but at high risk for losing the baby? Why are people so dumb?!”
this is so cringy 💀
— Sam (@adeleisnumber1) April 2, 2023
I thought literally everyone knew this was not an okay April fools joke?
— lex🥟 (@lexplayes) April 3, 2023
— Gabrielle (@gabriellebarile) April 4, 2023
Ooof, that’s some bad PR team she has. Who told her this was a good idea? Incredibly insensitive to people who can’t get pregnant, have had miscarriages, or how about women currently pregnant but at high risk for losing the baby? Why are people so dumb?!
— Syke (@SykeOnAir) April 2, 2023
That said, others defended Carpenter against the criticism by telling the critics that they were being too “sensitive,” with one person writing, “REPEAT AFTER ME – YOUR INFERTILITY ISSUES ARE NOT ANYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEM !!!!”
y’all are so sensitive oh my god lol
— danisha carter (@DanishaCarter4) April 3, 2023
REPEAT AFTER ME – YOUR INFERTILITY ISSUES ARE NOT ANYBODY ELSE’S PROBLEM !!!!
— aubrey • VICIOUS 💌 (@tomsbrinaa) April 2, 2023
While Carpenter has yet to address the backlash, she’s not the only person to face criticism for making a pregnancy prank. For the past month, JoJo Siwa has been courting controversy thanks to a series of Snapchat posts, where she seems to joke about being pregnant. The former Dance Moms star has also been accused of continually fueling the speculation by posting videos of herself calling her friend “the father of [her] baby” and shopping for what appears to be baby clothes, leading fans to call out the star for the “weird” and “disrespectful” bit.
Photo via Getty / Steve Granitz / FilmMagic
