Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon Kicked Off ‘SNL50: The Anniversary Special,’ Sparking a Stir

Standing front and center in the middle of the “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) stage in a beautiful off-the-shoulder sparkly, fringe gown made of semi-sheer material, Sabrina Carpenter smiled and waved at the audience. As she did so, Simon took in the electric ambiance, gazing out into the crowd while holding his guitar.

Following loud cheers from the crowd, the two artists exchanged pleasantries. After the “Girl Meets World” star emphasized how iconic Simon is by gesturing to him with her hands, Simon acknowledged, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sabrina Carpenter.”

“This is the one and only Paul Simon,” replied Carpenter. Simon, who sported an eye-catching velvet and lilac suit jacket, purple top, and black pants, then introduced the song the pair were set to sing. “I sang this song with George Harrison on ‘Saturday Night Live' in 1976,” shared the music legend.

Comedically, Carpenter highlighted how neither she nor her parents had been born at that time, which garnered a laugh from the audience. “I'm glad they're getting a chance to hear it tonight then,” responded Simon before he began strumming his guitar.

Together, the two sang a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's classic “Homeward Bound.” Simon kicked things off, his low yet melodic voice carrying through the venue as Carpenter awaited her cue. After some time, the “Nonsense” musician joined Simon, blending her rich vocals with his.

At one point during the duet, Carpenter took the spotlight, performing a section of the song on her own and further showcasing her vocal prowess before Simon continued to sing along with her.

Although the artists gave the performance their all, garnering loud praise from the audience, social media users were not impressed. Many expressed their opinion concerning how Carpenter did a better job than Simon.

“She carried that song,” opined an Instagrammer, while another chimed in with, “Between the horrible arrangement and Paul Simon's inability to sing any more [sic], Sabrina's vocals were the only redeeming part and I don't even like her.”

“This would have been great without Paul Simon….and I love Paul Simon. Off key, too slow,” added someone else. “Paul Simon lol Very very overrated Wake me when it’s just Sabrina singing [sic],” expressed a user on X.

Commending Carpenter as a performer, an observer praised, “She showed so much maturity letting him sort of lead the way at first and she blended and eased into the song… it made me tear up with how much respect she showed him.”

Meanwhile, an Instagrammer penned, “I like both artists but this was not a good rendition of ‘homeward bound' [sic]. Sounded slow and a little clunky at times.”

“It was nice to see Paul, but I didn't think it worked. Since McCartney is there maybe he could have done I [sic] in George Harrison's place. That was one of the best musical performances ever,” asserted a Facebooker, referencing the 1976 “SNL” performance Simon referred to earlier on.

Similarly, another wrote, “It was terrible. Sadly, the only thing worse was how out of tune McCartney was,” while someone else echoed a similar sentiment, “Highly disappointing…..the two voices never meshed—parts were awful–it was as if they did it in one take-no practice sections -and it showed… [sic]”

The recent commentary comes two weeks after Carpenter's big night at the 2025 Grammy Awards. On February 2, the “Skin” musician took the stage to perform at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

While her performance was certainly captivating, it was fellow famous singer Taylor Swift who caught the public's attention with her enthusiastic dancing. Swift garnered mixed reactions from online viewers.

Swift arrived at the ceremony wearing a shimmering red, sleeveless mini-dress with her golden brown hair worn loose. During the show, she was seen in the audience swaying to Carpenter's performance of “Please Please Please.”

At one moment, Taylor Swift placed her hands together in a prayer-like gesture while moving to the beat. Shortly after, she turned to her longtime collaborator and producer Jack Antonoff, who worked on the track with Carpenter, and shook his shoulders in excitement.

Swift's animated reaction quickly became a topic of discussion online. While some fans praised her enthusiasm, others felt she was drawing attention away from Carpenter's moment on stage.

On Instagram, one user commented, “Can't she just let someone else have the spotlight?” Another added, “Entitled enough to think she doesn't have to sit like everyone else.”

Facebook users also shared their thoughts, with one writing, “inappropriate [sic] for her to draw attention to herself while Sabrina is performing. Immaturity.” Someone else commented, “There she go's [sic] stealing the spotlight.”

Opinions on X (formerly Twitter) were divided. While one user criticized Swift's actions, expressing, “there ain't a woman out there as attention seeking as TS [sic],” others defended the “Bad Blood” singer.

One post read, “i love how she's shamelessly herself even though she knows there's cameras on her at all times. her undying support for her friends is so cute [sic].” Another simply stated, “she's [sic] so cute and supportive.”

Carpenter delivered a high-energy performance that included a medley of her hits. The night marked a major milestone for the 25-year-old singer, who had a breakthrough moment at the 67th Grammy Awards.

She entered the evening with six nominations and walked away with two wins—Best Pop Vocal Album for “Short n' Sweet” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Espresso.”

Her nominations included Best New Artist, Album of the Year for “Short n' Sweet,” Song of the Year for “Please Please Please,” and Record of the Year for “Espresso.” With her latest achievements, Carpenter cemented her place among today's top pop artists.

After winning Best Pop Vocal Album, Carpenter took the stage to deliver a heartfelt speech. “I'm still out of breath from the performance, so I really was not expecting this,” she said, reflecting on the moment.

Acknowledging her competition, she added, “And all of those nominees that were just on the screen are some of my favorite artists in the world, and I can't believe I'm nominated against them or even in this room right now.”

As a first-time Grammy winner, the night was deeply emotional for Carpenter. “This is, whoo, my first Grammys, so I'm gonna cry. But I wrote names so I wouldn't forget on this napkin, and now it's probably all messed up,” she admitted.

Despite her nerves, she went on to express gratitude to the Recording Academy and the music community, and then noted, “I feel so lucky to be able to come together and do something so special and beautiful and celebrate music.”

She also thanked her family, “My mom, for driving me to every voice lesson,” and gave a special shoutout to her dad and sisters.

Wrapping up her speech, Carpenter playfully acknowledged her excitement, “And what the hell—I don't know if I'm allowed to say ‘hell,' but I've said it three times now. So thank you, this is so special to me, and ‘Short n' Sweet' means the world.”

Before leaving the stage, she made sure to recognize her producers, “I love you guys, you have no idea how much I love you and how much this album means to me. Thank you, holy [expletive]! Bye!”

In an interview shared the following day, Carpenter shed light on how surreal the Grammy recognition felt. “The day of the Grammy nominations, when they came out, I was on my tour bus. It was an explosion of happiness, tears, laughter. It was euphoric,” she recalled.

She also expressed how deeply fulfilling her album's success had been, adding, “This album doing what it's done has been fulfilling to me because I am just being myself with maybe bigger hair.”

Carpenter's journey to her Grammy Awards moment has been marked by persistence. Speaking to Time in October 2024, she reflected on the years of hard work leading up to her breakout success.

“There were so many things I dreamt of doing as a little girl I got to do this year that felt like such a cool, sweet, little bucket-list moment for my younger self,” she shared. Looking back at her “Saturday Night Live” debut, she added, “I literally threw up when I found out about ‘SNL.' Not to be graphic.”

For Carpenter, performing at the Grammys was another dream come true. “If I could perform at the Grammys. I think I would throw up with excitement,” she said at the time. Months later, that dream became reality.

While Carpenter celebrated the biggest night of her career thus far, Swift's lively reaction became an unexpected talking point. Regardless of what the public had to say, both artists made a lasting impact on the 2025 Grammy Awards.