Sabrina Carpenter’s weekend appearance on Saturday Night Live was meant to be a celebration, but one moment quickly turned it into a cultural flashpoint.
The pop star performed her song Nobody’s Son in a dojo-inspired setting, wearing a white robe and black belt.
But Japanese singer Rina Sawayama noticed a key detail others missed. The song’s performers, especially Carpenter’s backup dancers, kept their shoes on while dancing on a tatami mat.
Sawayama called for “research, respect, and care” following Carpenter’s SNL performance
Image credits: Getty/Dia Dipasupil
Shortly after the episode aired, Sawayama took to Instagram to voice her take on the Espresso singer’s SNL appearance.
“Big love to Sabrina but fellow artists’ creative teams… if we are clearly referencing a culture, please can you do so with the research, respect, and care it deserves?” she wrote. “Shoes on tatami is jail.”
Image credits: Getty/Stephane Cardinale – Corbis
Her comment, though calm and polite, lit up the internet, according to the Daily Mail. Some accused Carpenter’s team of cultural carelessness, while others insisted it was harmless stagecraft.
One fan defended the singer, writing, “I wonder if people had to wear shoes because they were onstage at a live show with tons of moving parts and safety concerns and they were not on an actual tatami.”
Image credits: Getty/NBC
Others sided with Sawayama, applauding the singer for addressing the issue with grace. “Rina’s point about cultural respect is valid, tatami etiquette is a big deal in Japan, and a quick Google search could’ve avoided this,” one person posted.
Shoes on tatami mats are indeed a big no-no in Japan
To outsiders, the backlash may seem exaggerated, but in Japan, wearing shoes on tatami mats is more than a faux pas. It’s seen as deeply disrespectful.
Tatami flooring is made from woven straw and rice grass, and it’s traditionally used in sacred and domestic spaces. Keeping it clean and unspoiled reflects mindfulness and respect.
Image credits: Instagram/rinasonline
Even popular Japanese performers have faced criticism for breaking this unspoken rule. In 2013, fans took issue when kawaii metal band Babymetal performed their song Megitsune in a tatami room while wearing platform boots.
The scene was designed to be culturally shocking, and shock it did. The backlash was quite strong at the time, and it resulted in Babymetal losing some fans.
Image credits: Getty/NBC
Sawayama’s comment, then, wasn’t about “canceling” Carpenter. It was about reminding artists of the line between appreciation and appropriation.
As one commenter put it, “Appreciation without understanding always ends up looking lazy. It’s not about canceling anyone, it’s about caring enough to get it right when you borrow from someone else’s culture.”
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Internet reactions are split between defense and dialogue
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While Sawayama’s post urged empathy, online debates quickly turned emotional. Some users dismissed the criticism altogether.
“It wasn’t a tatami it was a stage, shoes are a safety requirement… also we are NOT doing cultural appropriation discourse in 2025 PLEASE,” one X user urged.
Image credits: Instagram/rinasonline
Others echoed Sawayama’s sentiment, arguing that pop culture often sacrifices accuracy for aesthetics. “The creative team’s lack of research reflects a broader issue in pop: prioritizing aesthetics over authenticity,” one comment said.
Another added, “This is a great example of polite, valid criticism regarding an important topic. If you’re going to borrow from a culture, the bare minimum is getting it right.”
Image credits: Instagram/sabrinacarpenter
Through it all, many applauded Sawayama for redirecting blame away from Carpenter herself and toward her production team.
“Props to Rina Sawayama for supporting Sabrina and placing the blame on the set designers/team instead of encouraging disparaging narratives between female artists,” a fan wrote.
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Sabrina Carpenter’s SNL appearance was quite successful
Image credits: NBC/SNL
Despite the controversy, Carpenter’s SNL appearance wasn’t entirely overshadowed. Her opening monologue drew laughter for poking fun at her own past scandals, including the now-infamous album cover for Man’s Best Friend, which showed her on all fours with a man pulling her hair.
“Some people got a little freaked out by the cover,” she said. “I’m not sure why. It was just this: me on all fours, with an unseen figure pulling my hair. But what people don’t realize is that’s just how they cropped it.”
Image credits: NBC/SNL
She continued, joking, “If you zoom out, it’s clearly a picture from the 50th anniversary special of Bowen (Yang) helping me up by the hair. After Martin Short shoved me out of the buffet line, saying something like, ‘Daddy needs his mini quiche.’”
The internet has shared its takes on Rina Sawayama’s comments on Sabrina Carpenter’s SNL performance on social media
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