Staff Reports
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter staged a classic celebrity meltdown this week after the White House posted a short social media montage showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out arrests — a clip set to Carpenter’s song “Juno.” Carpenter blasted the video as “evil and disgusting” on X, demanding her music be kept out of what she called an “inhumane agenda.” It’s the predictable response from a performer who wants to live in a bubble where law-and-order policies never touch their carefully curated image.
The White House didn’t cower. A spokeswoman pushed back, saying the administration won’t apologize for enforcing immigration laws or removing dangerous criminals from the country. If anyone needs reminding, governing means making hard choices to keep Americans safe, not asking celebrity permission to do it. The administration’s blunt reply was exactly the right tone for a government that’s finally acting instead of lecturing.
Let’s not pretend this is just about music rights. For too long, Hollywood and pop stars have treated their platforms like moral royals, deciding who and what gets their blessing. Carpenter’s dramatic response is less about unauthorized use of a recording and more about a culture war tantrum: she objects to being associated with a policy she dislikes, while conveniently ignoring that unchecked borders have real victims.
Americans should be skeptical when entertainers pose as arbiters of public policy. There’s nothing noble about weaponizing art to score political points while living the comfortable life of the Hollywood class. Real people in border towns and on the streets don’t get to hit mute on the consequences of lax enforcement; they suffer the results of lawlessness while celebrities lecture from red carpets and award shows.
We should also call out the double standard: artists loudly denounce uses of their work when it supports policies they dislike, yet many have no problem when their songs soundtrack protests or political messaging that aligns with their views. That selective outrage isn’t principled — it’s partisan. If Carpenter truly cared about artistic control, she’d be consistent rather than staging a public hissy fit for attention.
Patriots who want a safe, orderly country shouldn’t be cowed by star-studded tantrums. Enforcing the law is the job of elected officials, not pop music critics with big followings and bigger egos. If Sabrina Carpenter wants to keep singing, great — but she should stay in her lane and stop lecturing hardworking Americans about the priorities that keep them safe.
