SABRINA Carpenter has apologised after she was accused of being “rude” and “mean” during her Coachella set.
The Espresso hitmaker called a fan “weird” for yodelling during her headline performance.
In footage posted to X, Sabrina looked confused to hear the high-pitched note.
Addressing the audience, the singer said: “I think I heard someone yodel.”
She then singled out the fan, saying: “Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it.”
The audience member responded that yodelling was part of their culture and used as a form of celebration.
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Sabrina seemed surprised by the explanation, replying: “That’s your culture, yodeling?” before adding, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird,” followed by a brief laugh.
She then continued with the show, performing tracks including Taste, Please Please Please and We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night.
However, the moment didn’t go down well online. After the performance, social media users criticised her reaction.
One Reddit user wrote they had been enjoying the set until the comment, calling it “really rude.”
Another said her response showed a “total lack of respect,” adding that even after the cultural explanation, the reaction remained inappropriate.
Others suggested the incident could spark wider backlash, while some on X questioned whether she had dismissed someone’s culture as “weird.”
Still, not everyone agreed with the criticism. Some fans defended Carpenter, arguing she likely couldn’t properly hear what was being said from the stage.
One person wrote on X: “Sabrina saying that she doesn’t like a cultural Arabic cheer… this is so insensitive and Islamophobic. I am very disappointed in her.”
Sabrina took to X to apologise, writing: “My apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly.
“My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. Could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
Earlier in the set, Carpenter had shared her excitement about headlining the festival, telling the crowd: “I can’t believe I’m headlining Coachella! I mean, I can a little bit, but it’s nicer to say that, right?”
Susan Sarandon also made a surprise cameo during Sabrina’s performance.
The Thelma and Louise star, 79, played an older version of Sabrina, and gave a long monologue.
This riled some fans up, who joked that it went on for too long.
The 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is taking place across two weekends in Indio, California.
Carpenter joins Justin Bieber and Karol G as headliners, alongside a wide-ranging lineup including Anyma, Young Thug, Turnstile, David Byrne, FKA twigs, Addison Rae and Ethel Cain.
Veteran acts Iggy Pop, Moby and Devo are also on the bill, while Radiohead appear under a mysterious note referencing Kid A Mnesia. The xx and The Strokes are also set to return.
This comes after Coachella attendees were hit with last-minute cancellations.
Influencers across social media said their short-term rental accommodations through apps like Airbnb were cancelled last minute.
One TikTok user Andrea (@dreaviews) posted to the social media platform sharing that her Airbnb reservation was cancelled by the host just days before the festival.
“I booked everything back in September and they just cancelled my Airbnb reservation this morning,” she explained in the post.
“Very inconsiderate of the Airbnb host to just leave us hanging like that. Everything happens for a reason, but I’m just so sad and disappointed,” she added.
Another TikTok user Dania (@ladaniia) shared that her reservation was cancelled after the host wanted to up the per-night price for the stay.
“They want to raise the price to $1,600 from $500 a night,” they explained in the post.
“What are we supposed to do now? There’s like, three weeks left and everything else is like, $10,000,” she added.
While Andrea later updated that she was able to find a new place to stay, Dania has provided no such update post as of this writing.
Despite these accounts and others appearing on various social media platforms, Airbnb claims it is “not seeing any notable uptick in cancellations over Coachella weekends” per a statement provided to Los Angeles CW affiliate KTLA.
“We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents, including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on relisting for a higher price, as well as 24/7 guest support,” the statement from an Airbnb spokesperson continued.
The Sun US contacted Airbnb for comment.