Have you ever had a song that felt so personal it was practically tattooed on your soul, only to hear it blasted somewhere that made your stomach drop?
That’s exactly what happened to Sabrina Carpenter this week when a certain White House TikTok account decided her bubbly, cheeky hit Juno made the perfect soundtrack for footage of immigration agents putting people in handcuffs.
Yeah. Let that one sink in for a second.
When a Bedroom Anthem Becomes a Political Weapon
Most of us first fell in love with Juno because it’s deliciously NSFW in the best way possible. It’s flirtatious, confident, a little mischievous – the musical equivalent of sending your partner a winking text at 2 a.m. The now-iconic line “Have you ever tried this one?” is delivered with a giggle and a whole lot of suggestion.
On tour, Sabrina pairs the song with pink fuzzy handcuffs in a playful skit that has the entire arena screaming. It’s camp, it’s fun, it’s sex-positive pop perfection.
Cut to Tuesday morning: the official White House TikTok drops a video that opens with protest footage, then hard-cuts to ICE agents detaining individuals. The caption? “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.” And yes, they used the actual song.
“This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
– Sabrina Carpenter on X, December 2, 2025
Within minutes, Sabrina was on X letting the world know exactly where she stood. And honestly? Good for her.
The White House Actually Clapped Back
If you thought the story ended with an embarrassed intern deleting the video, think again. A White House spokeswoman went full offense.
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”
The shade toward her album title Short n’ Sweet was… a choice. The entire exchange has since gone mega-viral, because of course it has.
This Isn’t the First Time (And It Won’t Be the Last)
Artists telling politicians to keep their songs out of rallies and campaign videos has become its own genre at this point. The list reads like a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame shortlist:
- Beyoncé sent cease-and-desists over “Freedom”
- Neil Young has been fighting the same battle for decades
- ABBA demanded Trump stop playing “Dancing Queen”
- Celine Dion lost it when “My Heart Will Go On” showed up at an event
- Olivia Rodrigo wasn’t thrilled about her music at rallies either
The pattern is painfully familiar. A campaign loves the energy of a song, uses it without permission (or despite explicit refusal), and when the artist objects, the response is either radio silence or a public dragging.
In my opinion – and I say this as someone who’s watched this play out election cycle after election cycle – the disrespect is breathtaking. Creating art is deeply personal. When someone takes that creation and slaps it onto messaging you find morally repugnant, staying quiet isn’t an option.
Why “Juno” Specifically Stings So Bad
Let’s talk about the song itself for a minute, because context matters here.
Juno isn’t a political track. It’s not a protest song disguised as pop. It’s a celebration of female desire, of owning your sexuality without shame. It’s the kind of song you blast when you’re feeling yourself – confident, playful, maybe a little reckless in the best way.
Taking those empowering, body-positive, joy-filled lyrics and syncing them to images of people being detained? That’s not just tone-deaf. It feels deliberately provocative.
It’s like using Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” over diet pill ads or Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” in a video about home-wrecking. The cognitive dissonance is jarring, and frankly, it’s meant to be.
The Legal Gray Area Everyone Loves to Exploit
Here’s the frustrating part: venues and political campaigns often get away with this because of blanket performance licenses from ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Those licenses cover playing recorded music in public spaces, which rallies technically count as.
Social media videos, though? That’s murkier territory. TikTok especially has its own licensing deals, but using a song to directly comment on (or celebrate) policy in an official government account feels like it should cross a line.
Artists can send cease-and-desist letters – many have – but enforcement is spotty. And when the user is literally the government? Good luck.
The Bigger Conversation We Should Be Having
Beyond the drama, this moment says something pretty ugly about how art and power collide in 2025.
When a government body can take a young woman’s celebration of sexual agency and repurpose it as a taunt against vulnerable communities, we’ve got a problem that goes way past copyright law.
And when the response to criticism is essentially “deal with it,” we’re not just talking about music anymore.
Maybe that’s why Sabrina’s response resonated so hard. She didn’t hedge. She didn’t play nice. She called it evil. Full stop.
What Happens Next?
The video is still up at time of writing. Sabrina hasn’t commented further. The internet, predictably, has chosen sides and is currently in full civil war in the comments.
Some fans are streaming Juno harder than ever in solidarity. Others are boycotting her for “getting political.” (As if objecting to your art being used in deportation propaganda is somehow the controversial take here.)
Personally? I’m with the artists. Every single time.
Your music isn’t public property just because it’s popular. Your voice isn’t a free sound effect for whoever has the biggest platform. And when someone tries to weaponize your joy against other human beings, you have every right to scream from the rooftops.
Sabrina Carpenter did exactly that.
And honestly? We love to see it.
At the end of the day, this isn’t really about one TikTok or one pop star. It’s about who gets to control meaning in a world where everything – even a flirty lyric about bedroom Olympics – can be twisted into something cruel.
Artists create culture. Politicians appropriate it. And every time an artist pushes back, they remind us that creativity should never be a tool for dehumanization.
So stream Juno. Dance in your kitchen. Wear the pink fuzzy handcuffs ironically.
Just maybe don’t use it to caption state violence.
Some lines really shouldn’t be crossed.
