Madonna put Sabrina Carpenter in an awkward position at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards after jokingly criticizing the singer’s team during their acceptance speech.
The pair, aged 27 and 68 respectively, appeared together at the Peacock Theater after winning Best Collaboration for the music video accompanying their duet, Bring Your Love.
Madonna used the moment to explain how the collaboration began. “I want to briefly explain how this came together,” she said. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m not very patient. Five days went by and I still hadn’t been put in touch with Sabrina or heard whether she wanted to record with me. Five days! So I sent her a direct message.”
The remark drew laughter and reaction from the crowd, while Carpenter stood beside the pop icon giggling nervously.
Carpenter quickly stepped in to defend her staff. “My team does reply,” she insisted. “I just want everyone to know that they do get back to people.”
She then admitted that she is usually quicker to respond herself, prompting applause from the audience. “I answer faster, so contacting me directly is always the best option,” Carpenter said.
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for both Madonna and Carpenter for comment.
Madonna appeared to put Sabrina Carpenter on the spot after making a playful dig at her team during their MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech on Sunday
The singers accepted the Best Collaboration award at the Peacock Theater for the video for their duet, Bring Your Love
“All right, we’ll go backstage and have a drink or something,” Madonna replied, as Carpenter responded with another nervous laugh.
Having teased Carpenter’s entourage, Madonna shifted the mood by praising her collaborator’s professionalism and pointing out the similarities they share.
“I love working with you because you’re incredibly professional, and these days it’s difficult to find professional people to work with,” Madonna told her.
She added: “When I arrive late, she’s already there early, so it works perfectly. She also has OCD, just like me.”
Madonna continued by saying they write their lyrics on paper “like they did in the 1800s,” before describing the experience of making the song as wonderful and telling Carpenter how much she loved it.
She also clarified the meaning behind the track. “If you think it’s a love song, you’re mistaken,” Madonna said. “It’s about people who believe they understand you better than you understand yourself. And I love you,” she told Carpenter.
The unpredictable acceptance speech followed Madonna’s opening performance, during which she invited Carpenter and Charli XCX to join her onstage.
It marked Madonna’s first live performance at the VMAs since 2003, when she caused a global media sensation by kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during the ceremony.
Carpenter appeared visibly flustered, laughing nervously as the audience reacted to Madonna’s comments about her team
On Sunday, Madonna and Carpenter performed Bring Your Love together before Charli XCX joined Madonna for their new collaboration, Danceteria Afterhours.
The original Danceteria was a solo Madonna song from her latest album, Confessions II. Released in July, the record serves as a follow-up to her hugely successful 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Bring Your Love was in contention for two prizes – best collaboration, which it has won, and for one of the top prizes of the night, song of the year.
Certain other categories pitted the two pop stars against one another, such as the coveted prize for video of the year, in which Madonna’s Confessions II (The Film) won out, sweeping aside Carpenter’s clip for Tears.
Madonna was most nominated artist at this year’s VMAs with 11 nods to her name, narrowly beating Taylor Swift’s nine. Madonna ended up scooping seven awards, while Swift won three.
Nevertheless, Swift was triumphant after being announced as the winner of the inaugural Artist Director Honors Award, her 33rd Moon Man trophy.
She is now the artist with the most VMA wins in history, having previously been tied with Beyonce, who is now in second place with 30 gongs to her name.
Madonna famously performed at the first-ever VMAs in 1984, bursting from a gigantic wedding cake while dressed in a bridal gown for a rendition of Like a Virgin.
She has emerged as a reliable engine of memorable moments at the fete, where she ignited a fan frenzy in 2003 via her lip-lock with Spears.
