2024 VMAs: Sabrina Carpenter Showcases Romance During Steamy Performance—and Not With Barry Keoghan

Sabrina Carpenter got a taste of a sexy alien during the 2024 MTV VMAs. 

While singing a medley of hits off her album Short N’ Sweet at the award show Sept. 11, the “Espresso” singer cheekily paid tribute to iconic Britney Spears moments from the VMAs.

After being introduced by Cyndi Lauper, Sabrina, styled by Jared Ellner in a custom Victoria's Secret bodysuit adorned with over 18,500 crystal beads, kicked things off with “Please Please Please” while being lowered to the stage from a platform dangling in the air. 

Before breaking into her song “Taste,” the 25-year-old—who dates Barry Keoghan—strutted to a backtrack of the bridge to Britney’s song “Oops!… I Did It Again” and welcomed two background dancers, an astronaut in a spacesuit and a blue alien in full large-eyed prosthetics and a short, sheer white dress.

During the performance of the song—which references a love triangle—the alien and astronaut began to fight, with Sabrina breaking them up by throwing the astronaut off the stage. After kicking him off, she turned to the alien and planted some steamy kisses on their lips, which may just be a not-so-subtle homage to Britney’s iconic kiss with Madonna at the 2003 VMAs.