Everything you need to know about the Skims model and Taylor Swift bestie.
Chances are you’ve probably heard something about Sabrina Carpenter. The singer and actress has been all over the internet — and the globe — in the last year. She released the hit album Emails I Can’t Send, embarked on a global tour with Taylor Swift, started dating one of Hollywood’s most eligible (and *ahem* cheeky) bachelors and most, recently starred, in the spring campaign for Skims. Did we mention Sabrina Carpenter is only 24 years old? Here’s everything to know about the “Nonsense” singer.
Chances are, you probably recognize Sabrina Carpenter
Even if you don’t know her by name, you probably know her by aesthetic. Since the release of her July 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send Carpenter has embraced a distinct pop star look, rocking thigh-high white platform boots and mini-dresses. With a love for bows, curtain bangs and pastel colours, the singer’s whole vibe is a throwback to the early 2000s (when she would have, in fact, only been a kindergartener), making you feel like she just stepped out of a pink Motorola Razr-dotted world.
Sabrine Carpenter has been in a ton of movies and TV shows you’ve probably seen
While she’s focusing on her music career lately, Carpenter actually began her career like many pop stars do — on the Disney channel.
After roles in sitcoms like The Goodwin Games and a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit, Carpenter was cast in Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World (for us millennials, this was a spin-off of Boy Meets World). As the sidekick to Cory and Topanga Matthews’ teenage daughter, Carpenter became a fan fave, starring on the show until 2017 and recording the show’s theme song alongside her co-star Rowan Blanchard.
In 2018, Carpenter moved into her movie era, popping up in films like The Hate U Give and Tall Girl, and in 2020 she starred in the Netflix dance movie Work It. (She was also a producer, which we love for her.)
Her music is pure pop
While Carpenter has made a name for herself on-screen, her musical talents are, TBQH, really where it’s at. Early on in her musical career, Carpenter became known for her pop-infused sound.
But in 2022, with the release of her Emails I Can’t Send, the singer really came into her own. The album addressed a variety of topics, from infidelity and family dynamics, to first loves and self-love, and gave us bangers like “Nonsense” and “Feather,” the latter of which became a point of contention with the Catholic church. It’s no surprise that Carpenter has a Taylor Swift connection, because her songwriting and vocals are just as heart-wrenching and captivating as Swift’s.
She’s been at the centre of some serious Gen Z pop culture drama
And of course, before the release of her latest album, and partly addressed on the album, there was *the drama.* Before Carpenter was widely known in pop culture for her expert songwriting and A+ vocals, she was involved in some messiness with another Disney star turned pop singer, Olivia Rodrigo.
Then relatively unknown outside of Disney, Rodrigo released her first single, “Driver’s License” in 2021. It was an instant hit, about teen love lost, centred around a guy who left Rodrigo for “that blonde girl.” At the time, many fans of the young singer assumed the song was about her Highschool Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett, whom she’d been previously linked to, and who Carpenter — an older blonde girl — was then currently involved with. Naturally, fans assumed Bassett had broken Rodrigo’s heart, dumping her for Carpenter.
To say fans took their theory to the next level is an understatement. The song not only launched Rodrigo’s musical career, but led to tons of vitriol towards Carpenter, who would go on to detail her experience in the song “Because I Liked a Boy.”
Sabrina Carpenter is currently dating one Barry Keoghan, one of Hollywood’s buzziest rising stars
You’re nothing in Hollywood if you don’t have a steamy romantic connection (at least in the eyes of tabloids), and when it comes to romance, Carpenter has been linked to several stars. In addition to her rumoured relationship with Bassett, the singer has been linked to actor Dylan O’Brien, and in January 2023 was photographed out and about in Los Angeles with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. In a March 2023 interview, Mendes shot down the speculation, claiming that he was “not dating Sabrina,” but fans weren’t necessarily buying it.
In any case, by late 2023, Carpenter was rumoured to be dating Irish actor Barry Keoghan after allegedly meeting at a Givenchy Spring 2024 show in Paris (chic!). By December of that year, the couple were photographed out for dinner together. Since the start of 2024, the couple have seemingly confirmed their relationship status to be true, popping up together everywhere from museum dates in Los Angeles to concerts in Singapore.
In March of this year, Keoghan was spotted several times supporting Carpenter on the Singapore leg of the Eras Tour with Taylor Swift (Carpenter is opening for the mega-star), with the couple spotted embracing after one of the shows.
Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan hugging at the Eras Tour. pic.twitter.com/dSQbEBTvyA
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 4, 2024
And just days after supporting his girl across the globe. the duo walked the carpet one after the other at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party (and posed for photos together inside). This was also shortly after Keoghan attended an Academy Awards dinner donning a beaded “Sabrina” bracelet. The couple have also been all up in each other’s social media comments, leaving flirty messages and emojis on each others posts. (Nothing says “we’re in a relationship” more than an expertly placed emoji.)
Seriously, the man is obsessed.
She’s close to Taylor Swift
Arguably the greatest moment of Carpenter’s career so far is the fact that she opened for Taylor Swift’s history-making Eras Tour on several legs, travelling the world — and singing alongside — the megastar (and Carpenter’s own musical idol).
Reflecting on the experience in March of this year, after wrapping up her time on the tour, Carpenter wrote: “…And the most thank you’s I’ve ever thank you’d to Taylor. I feel so lucky to witness the magic that is you and this tour. there is truly no one like you and there never will be! i love you with all my heart and i will cherish this taybrina era (and all the eras) till the end of time 💞💞💞.”
Sabrina Carpenter’s Skims campaign is major — but not without controversy
Given the epic year Carpenter has had, it makes sense that she would land a huge campaign. Leave it to Skims to cast the latest It girl. Regardless of how you may feel about Kim Kardashian, her famous family and her sometimes problematic practices, the fact is Skims has become the Call Her Daddy of brands: An arbiter of taste that taps into the up-and-coming and most zeitgeist-y talent of the moment. And that’s exactly what Carpenter is.
Despite that fact, Carpenter’s connection to Swift means that not everyone was thrilled with her latest career move. Shortly after the campaign was announced, Carpenter’s social media comments were inundated with people saying they were “disappointed” in Carpenter, and asking: “Why Skims? I thought you and Tay were friends.”
ICYMI, Swift and Kardashian have a tense history, feuding publicly since February 2016 when Kardashian’s then-husband Kanye West released the song “Famous” which featured a controversial lyric about Swift. After Swift swiped back at West during her 2016 Grammy acceptance speech for Album of the Year, Kardashian released a video of Swift reportedly approving the lyric, something she had denied. This all led to Swift’s entire Reputation era, and needless to say, fans of the singer have never really gotten past it. TL;DR? It’s a whole messy mess.
And TBH, it’s a mess that really shouldn’t affect Carpenter. Just because she’s tied to Swift through business doesn’t mean she shouldn’t also be able to work with other people in the industry. It is her career after all, and Carpenter is rightfully entitled to get her bag. And chances are, with a hot new man, the seal of approval from brands of the moment and a voice that sounds like a literal angel, those opportunities will just keep coming.