Hegseth says 4 killed after another terror-linked drug boat obliterated
The U.S. military carried out another strike on a suspected drug vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization, killing four narco-terrorists and marking the 22nd strike under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
The strike on Thursday against a boat allegedly carrying drugs is the first strike in more than two weeks and brings the total killed to 86.
US CARRIES OUT 8TH STRIKE ON ALLEGED DRUG VESSEL, THIS TIME IN EASTERN PACIFIC, HEGSETH SAYS
“On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” U.S. Southern Command said. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed.”
U.S. Southern Command shared video of the strike on social media, showing the strike on the alleged drug-carrying vessel.
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WI governor slammed for blocking food stamp fraud checks as MN battles scandal
EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota’s Democrat-led neighbor could be missing a chance to prevent a Feeding Our Future–style crisis, Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., warned Thursday.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has faced widening scrutiny over a fraud scheme in which members of the Twin Cities’ Somali community allegedly diverted taxpayer-funded meal money overseas, including to terror group Al-Shabaab.
Tiffany, who is running to be Wisconsin’s governor in 2026, slammed retiring incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for prominently rebuking the Trump administration’s efforts to conduct audits of SNAP — food stamp — programs in the 50 states.
On Thursday, Tiffany’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital that he planned to send to Evers later in the day.
TRUMP ‘TOOK NOTES FROM THE GRINCH’: STATES SUE OVER SNAP PROGRAM CHANGES
“Like many Wisconsin residents, I was disappointed by your recent public statements ruling out cooperation with the federal government to detect fraud in the food stamp program,” Tiffany wrote. “We should all be able to agree that fraud and abuse in vital safety net programs is unacceptable, which is why I hope you will reconsider your position.
“Your position on this matter is even more shocking given recent developments in our neighboring state of Minnesota. There, the governor’s mismanagement and lack of transparency in food security programs have led to multiple investigations of a taxpayer-funded fraud scheme totaling a staggering $1 billion that allegedly involved Somalian terrorists.”
The Minocqua congressman said failure to police SNAP abuses jeopardizes the program’s longevity and ability to serve the Wisconsinites who legally rely on it and that withholding such information is “effectively prioritizing the ability of scammers and illegal aliens to bilk this program.
“This makes no sense,” he added.
Earlier Thursday, Tiffany took to social media to castigate Evers for balking at USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ request.
“Governor Evers is refusing to let federal agencies check Wisconsin’s food stamp rolls for fraud,” Tiffany wrote on Facebook.
MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT WORKERS BLAME WALZ FOR ‘MASSIVE FRAUD’ AMID ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SOMALI COMMUNITY
“What are Democrats hiding? We do not want to end up like Minnesota with billions in stolen tax dollars.”
Tiffany’s post was explicitly responding to Evers’ recent interview with Matt Smith of Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate, who had asked him about his refusal to let the USDA audit the food stamp program.
Smith paraphrased Rollins’ critiques of SNAP as a “broken program full of bad things,” adding that Rollins pointed out that 29 states agreed to give federal officials access to investigate fraud.
TRUMP, STATES BACK IN COURT OVER SNAP AS BENEFITS REMAIN IN LEGAL LIMBO
“That system is analyzed every single year, and we feel confident in it,” Evers told Smith. “The idea they’re asking for this information; they’re looking for ways to get out of doing it, frankly. And that is inappropriate.”
Evers said the request was inappropriate given that his state has families who rely on the program to ensure proper, nutritious meals.
TRUMP VOWS TO ‘FUND SNAP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’ IF COURT ALLOWS, BLASTS DEMOCRATS OVER SHUTDOWN DELAY
Near the end of November’s government shutdown, Evers also balked at the Trump administration’s request that states undo payments to programs like Wisconsin’s FoodShare in light of the USDA canceling monthly disbursements until the government reopened.
Wisconsin and several prominent blue states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Washington, California, New York and New Jersey — as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro given that state’s Republican Attorney General David Sunday was not on board — wrote a letter to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston asking it to stop Trump’s SNAP-back effort.
When Evers and other governors received a response from the administration demanding they yank payments, Evers responded with a statement that contained a single-worded first lin, “No.”
FOOD-STAMP FRAUD NUMBERS EXPOSE WHICH STATES ARE DRAINING THE MOST TAXPAYER DOLLARS
Other Wisconsin Republicans also defended the USDA, with Rep. Bryan Steil of Kenosha telling The Center Square that the Badger State’s food stamp recipients were the ones being hurt by Democrats’ longtime refusal to reopen the government.
“Their radical base is demanding that they do anything to try to ‘stand up to Trump.’ What does that mean? They’re willing to put American families through a ton of pain,” Steil said.
Another Wisconsin Republican led an effort to get the feds to create a carveout for SNAP funding as the shutdown battle raged.
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Ill., and told reporters in Madison where he was testifying in support of homeless veterans’ assistance that he was raised in “abject rural poverty” and was in one of many American families that relied on food stamps.
Evers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
School districts reach settlement allowing biological sex-based sports rules
A coalition of Colorado school districts reached a settlement with the state’s high school sports league that ensures the districts can enforce rules to protect girls’ sports from biological male trans athletes.
Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Col., announced the settlement in a post on X, Thursday.
“Biological men NEVER belong in biological women’s sports, period. The Colorado High School Activities Association finally made the right decision and will STOP penalizing school districts that protect women’s sports,” Crank wrote.
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Colorado’s District 49 led a lawsuit against the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) in May, challenging Colorado state laws and CHSAA bylaws that required schools to allow transgender student-athletes to participate in teams matching their gender identity.
District 49 had just instituted its own policy classifying all school sports teams by “biological sex,” banning males from playing on teams or sharing locker rooms and hotel rooms with females.
Colorado state law and CHSAA bylaws are one of many in blue states that require schools to allow students to play on sports teams and use facilities that match their gender identity, not their sex at birth.
TRACK STAR WHO PROTESTED TRANS ATHLETE ALLEGES SHE WASN’T GIVEN HER MEDAL FOR MONTHS UNTIL SHE FILED A LAWSUIT
“Political culture is far out of balance on gender issues. Our lawsuit seeks a rational correction to excessive accommodations,” District 49 Superintendent Peter Hilts told Fox News Digital at the time. “Our state athletic association simultaneously advocates equity and discrimination. We asked them to resolve that discrepancy, and they declined, so we were compelled to pursue a legal ruling.”
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In exchange for this recent settlement, the plaintiff school districts are now dismissing their claims against the CHSAA and agree to pay the association $60,000 to help cover its operational and legal costs from the lawsuit, according to Colorado Public Radio.
CHSAA has responded to Thursday’s developments in a new statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) has acknowledged from the outset the complex challenges created by conflicting federal directives and state laws, as well as the difficult position in which this places member schools and districts. CHSAA affirms that the courts are ultimately responsible for determining how laws governing transgender athlete participation are applied,” the statement says.
“The association has never penalized a school or district for its policies on this issue, nor has it dictated what those policies should be. Eligibility decisions have always been left to individual schools and districts, which is why being named in this lawsuit was both frustrating and unnecessary.
“At no point before filing this lawsuit did the plaintiffs engage in any dialogue with CHSAA. No outreach was made to inquire about our policies, our procedures, or the steps we had already taken to support schools navigating these issues. Instead, CHSAA was directed to make a change, and a lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter—a decision we believe was much more performative than substantive.
“This litigation consumed time and resources without producing any change to how CHSAA operates. The settlement alters nothing about our policies, our practices, or our authority, and the fact that it results in no changes only underscores how unnecessary this lawsuit was.
“We are reassured that our bylaws were followed throughout this process and the agreement confirms that all legal fees will be covered by the plaintiff districts and schools involved. Most importantly, this resolution brings closure without any continued financial impact on the rest of our membership.
“CHSAA remains dedicated to upholding its commitment to fostering a safe environment for all students participating in educationally based athletics and activities.”
Stephen A Smith refuses to back down after ‘View’ hosts rip into take on Kelly
The co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” tore into ESPN host Stephen A. Smith on Thursday for condemning Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for participating in a video telling U.S. military members to ignore any unlawful orders from President Donald Trump.
During the latest episode of the daytime talk show, co-host Sunny Hostin brought up Smith’s spirited criticism of Kelly and called him “loud and wrong.”
After playing the clip of Smith’s commentary, Hostin said, “I’d love to give you the opportunity to perhaps change your position on what you said.”
“I’m not changing a thing,” Smith shot back. “I didn’t stutter when I said it.”
TROOPS RISK COURT-MARTIAL IF THEY FOLLOW DEMOCRATS’ ‘ILLEGAL ORDERS’ ADVICE, FORMER MILITARY LAWYERS WARN
Hostin replied, “OK. You want to stay loud and wrong?”
Smith responded, “Well, you can call it loud and wrong all you want to. You’re entitled to your opinion, I’m entitled to mine.”
Six Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., appeared in a video last month that urged military and intelligence community members to consult their consciences and refuse to obey “illegal” orders.
Directly calling out the Trump administration, they added, “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community officials against American citizens.”
In his commentary on the video during his XM radio show last Wednesday, Smith went after Kelly for appearing in the video.
“Respectfully, senator, what the hell are you doing?” Smith said. “Looking into the camera and telling military men and women to ignore the commander-in-chief? How dare you? How dare you do that?”
While on “The View,” Hostin tried to debunk Smith’s point, stating that before he was Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth had expressed that military members should not follow unlawful orders, suggesting that he and Kelly agree on the subject.
CNN PANEL DESCENDS INTO CHAOS AFTER DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION GETS HEATED
Smith dismissed the point, telling Hostin, “First of all, I don’t give a damn what Pete Hegseth has to say, because I will tell you right now, he was never qualified for the job… I don’t care what he has to say. Let me get that out the way.”
Smith then defended his point against Kelly, saying he was warning that, as a veteran, Kelly could land in hot water if he’s caught, implying that troops should disobey orders.
Referencing conversations with his family members who have military experience, he said, “You can be implicated for implying something if you are a former military member, or you are a present military member. It wasn’t what Mark Kelly said, it’s the fact that he was a combat Navy pilot who served in the military who would tell folks, ‘ignore an order,’ when it could get them in a world of trouble.”
Co-host Joy Behar and Hostin interjected, saying Kelly mentioned ignoring “illegal” orders.
Smith shot back, “I said illegal. I’m talking about illegal.”
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Hostin doubled down: “He said you don’t have to follow an unlawful order and that is in the military code of conduct. It didn’t sound like you were aware of that.”
“Which I’m aware of,” Smith answered.
“But it didn’t sound like you were aware of that during your show,” Hostin said.
“I disagree with you,” he told the co-host.
“I had two governors, by the way, text me to tell me I was wrong and they agree with you,” Smith said, referring to his hosts.
“You are wrong,” Hostin stated.
“And I had two senators that reached out to me and said ‘you aren’t wrong at all,’” Smith added.
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Simple nightly habit linked to healthier blood pressure, study suggests
A consistent bedtime may play a meaningful role in lowering blood pressure, according to new research examining how sleep timing affects cardiovascular health.
While most people think primarily about getting enough hours of sleep, experts say when you sleep also has an important effect on heart health.
Dr. William Lu, medical director at Dreem Health in San Francisco, told Fox News Digital that sleep duration and sleep timing work together, and that consistency is a key part of supporting cardiovascular wellness.
EXPERTS REVEAL EXACT BEDTIME THAT COULD PREVENT LATE-NIGHT ‘SECOND WIND’ INSOMNIA
“Both matter, but growing evidence shows regularity — going to sleep and waking at roughly the same times night-to-night — is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk even after accounting for total sleep time,” Lu said.
Recent findings have supported that connection. In a study published in the journal Sleep Advances, adults with high blood pressure who kept a consistent bedtime for two weeks saw modest but meaningful improvements in their readings, even though they did not sleep longer hours.
Participants reduced their night-to-night bedtime variability from about 30 minutes to only a few minutes, and researchers said that simple change helped restore healthier blood pressure overnight.
Even a modest nighttime drop in systolic pressure can lower cardiovascular risk, experts say.
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The concept is supported by research into circadian rhythms and the body’s natural blood-pressure patterns.
“Consistent bed and wake times keep your internal circadian clock synchronized to Earth’s day-night cycle,” Lu said.
A steady sleep schedule helps the body release important hormones, like melatonin and cortisol, at the right times, which supports the natural rise and fall of blood pressure throughout the day and night, according to the doctor.
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Disruptions in sleep timing can affect blood pressure more quickly than many people realize, Lu warned. While some people assume that shifting their bedtime on weekends or staying up late occasionally has little impact, the expert said the body responds almost immediately.
For people trying to build a more consistent sleep routine, Lu recommends starting with the morning wake-up time.
“Start with a fixed wake time every day, including weekends, and anchor the schedule with morning light exposure — then set a consistent bedtime that gives you enough sleep before that wake time,” he advised. “Pick a wake time you can sustain and get 30 minutes of morning light after waking up.”
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He also recommends adding a brief wind-down routine before bed and cutting back on stimulants and screen use in the evening.
Improving sleep timing is a low-risk change that may help lower blood pressure, Lu said, adding that consistent bedtimes should be used in addition to anti-hypertensive medications, not as a substitute.
Potential limitations
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
The sample size was relatively small, consisting of 11 middle-aged adults with obesity and hypertension. It was also a two-week period, which means researchers could measure only short-term changes.
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The study also lacked a control group or randomization, so it couldn’t prove that the blood-pressure improvements were caused by more consistent bedtimes or by other lifestyle factors, such as diet, stress or medication changes. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Anyone considering changes to their sleep schedule for blood-pressure benefits should first speak with a doctor.
Beloved NCAA men’s lacrosse coach dies at 41 after home accident: ‘Defies understanding’
Siena Saints men’s lacrosse coach Liam Gleason died after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a fall at his home, the school announced on Wednesday. He was 41.
With Gleason at the helm, Siena went to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship and earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament during the 2025 season.
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“A sudden, senseless loss carries a kind of pain that defies understanding,” Siena University president Chuck Seifert said in a statement. “It’s hard to imagine anyone more universally loved and admired than Liam. Our community was blessed by Coach Gleason’s life.”
Gleason’s family started a GoFundMe to help “ease the burden” on his wife and three children as they navigated the tragedy.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ASSISTANT COACH SHAWN CLARK DEAD AT 50
“The Gleason family has suffered the most unimaginable tragedy with Liam suffering a traumatic brain injury,” the GoFundMe read. “Anyone who knows him knows what a light he is in this world. Liam is the best father, husband, brother, son, brother-in-law, uncle, coach, and friend. His heart is as big as his 6’5 frame, and the love he gives to those around him is immeasurable.
“Liam’s wife, Jaclyn, and their three beautiful children — Kennedy, Penn, and Tate — who now face a long road of emotional and financial challenges in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”
Gleason coached at Siena for the last seven seasons and was named the conference Coach of the Year in the MAAC and the Eastern College Athletic Conference this past season. Siena was 11-5 overall and earned its first national ranking in 14 years.
The New York native played college lacrosse at the University of Albany.
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Officials said his funeral will be Saturday on Siena’s campus.
Ilhan Omar’s associates linked to welfare fraud scheme in Minnesota
Members of the inner circle of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., personally profited from the $1 billion welfare fraud scandal in her district that has placed her Somali constituency under a White House microscope.
Omar held events at one of the restaurants named in the fraud, knew one of its now-convicted owners and had a staffer who was also convicted, the New York Post reported.
Omar also introduced the legislation that led to $250 million being defrauded from federal child-nutrition programs in COVID-19 aid, according to the newspaper.
FEDERAL PROBE TARGETS ALLEGED MINNESOTA SOMALI FRAUD ‘NETWORK’ AS COVID-AID CRIME RINGS PERSIST
Around $250 million in state funds was distributed beginning in 2020 to provide meals to schoolchildren during the pandemic. However, the money was allegedly pocketed by Salim Ahmed Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar held her 2018 congressional victory party.
Said was convicted in March for his role in the scheme, with the Justice Department stating that the funds — intended to feed children — were used to finance a lavish lifestyle.
He spent much of the money on a $2 million Minneapolis mansion and a $9,000-per-month shopping habit at Nordstrom, according to prosecutors.
The free meals were made possible by the 2020 MEALS Act, introduced by Omar and passed with bipartisan support, the Post said.
Much of the funding was funneled through the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, according to the DOJ. Omar appeared in a video promoting the program.
LIZ PEEK: MASSIVE MINNESOTA WELFARE HEIST PROVES DEMOCRATS CAN’T POLICE THEIR OWN MESS
The congresswoman has not been directly linked to the fraud. Fox News Digital has attempted to reach her office for comment.
“The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by Feeding Our Future is reprehensible. Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable,” Omar told a local Minnesota news outlet at the time.
During an appearance on CNN this week, Omar was pressed to explain how fraud became so rampant within her state.
“I think what happened, um, is that, you know, when you have these kind of new programs that are, um, designed to help people, you’re oftentimes relying on third parties to be able to facilitate. And I just think that a lot of the COVID programs that were set up — they were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created,” she said.
In August, Guhaad Hashi Said, a Democratic activist and former Omar campaign official, pleaded guilty to running a fake food site, Advance Youth Athletic Development.
MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT WORKERS BLAME WALZ FOR ‘MASSIVE FRAUD’ AMID ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SOMALI COMMUNITY
He claimed the group served 5,000 meals a day to children, pocketing millions, the Justice Department said.
Said worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns as an “enforcer” who oversaw voter turnout efforts in the Somali community.
As of November, at least 78 defendants have been charged in what has widely been considered the largest pandemic relief fraud scheme in the United States.
The Trump administration has blamed Minnesota officials for the lack of oversight.
The Small Business Administration is investigating a network of Somali groups in Minnesota that it says is tied to the scandal and a House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s role.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Omar and blamed the Somali community for the scope of fraud occurring in Minnesota.
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“These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve taken billions and billions of dollars. They have a representative, Ilhan Omar, who they say married her brother. She should be thrown the hell out of our country.
“And most of those people, they have destroyed Minnesota. She should not be — and her friend shouldn’t be allowed — frankly, they shouldn‘t even be allowed to be Congresspeople, OK? They shouldn’t even be allowed to be Congresspeople because they don’t represent the interests of our country.”
Supreme Court hands Texas GOP key victory in widening redistricting legal battle
The Supreme Court signaled that Texas is likely to prevail in defending its new congressional map, faulting a lower court for misreading evidence and ignoring required legal inferences as the state races toward 2026 election deadlines.
In a brief order that keeps Governor Greg Abbott’s redrawn districts in place for now, the Court said the District Court committed two major errors – first by failing to apply the presumption of legislative good faith when considering disputed evidence, and second by declining to draw a near-dispositive inference against challengers who offered no alternative map that met Texas’s partisan goals.
The stay is temporary while the merits proceed, yet Justice Elena Kagan warned in dissent that the ruling effectively locks in the contested boundaries for the 2026 midterms because of looming state deadlines.
“This Court’s eagerness to playact a district court here has serious consequence,” Kagen said. “The majority calls its ‘evaluation’ of this case ‘preliminary.’.. The results, though, will be anything but.
DOJ BACKS TEXAS IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT OVER REPUBLICAN-DRAWN MAP
“This Court’s stay guarantees that Texas’s new map, with all its enhanced partisan advantage, will govern next year’s elections for the House of Representatives. And this Court’s stay ensures that many Texas citizens, for no good reason, will be placed in electoral districts because of their race,” Kagen continued. “And that result, as this Court has pronounced year in and year out, is a violation of the Constitution.”
The ruling arrives amid a broader, unprecedented national redistricting battle driven by current sitting president Donald Trump’s effort to fortify the GOP House majority heading into 2026 — a campaign that began in Texas before rapidly spreading to other states.
Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections, Trump in June first floated the idea of rare but not unheard of mid-decade congressional redistricting.
ABBOTT SIGNS TEXAS REDISTRICTING MAP INTO LAW, SECURING MAJOR GOP VICTORY AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS
The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
Texas was Trump’s first target.
A month later, when asked by reporters about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map. Democratic state lawmakers broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill.
TEXAS FILES EMERGENCY SUPREME COURT PETITION AFTER TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGES
The legislature eventually passed the bill, and Abbott signed it into law in late August.
But the new map immediately faced legal challenges, and the plight of the Texas lawmakers who fled the state energized Democrats across the country.
Among those jumping into the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
California voters a month ago overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative which will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.
That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw its maps.
REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES COLLEAGUES IN TEXAS MAP FIGHT
But the fight has spread beyond Texas and California.
Right-tilting Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. The legislature in red-leaning Indiana meets this week to try and pass redistricting, while Florida and Kansas are also mulling redrawing their maps.
“We must keep the Majority at all costs,” Trump wrote on social media last month.
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Illinois and Maryland, two blue states, and Virginia, where Democrats control the legislature, are also taking steps or seriously considering redistricting.
And in a blow to Republicans, a Utah district judge last month rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Sabrina Carpenter pushes back on fans uncomfortable with her risqué transformation
Sabrina Carpenter isn’t backing down from her risqué reinvention as she works to break free from the Disney Channel image some fans still cling to.
The 26-year-old pop star has faced criticism following the release of her last two albums, “Short n’ Sweet” and “Man’s Best Friend.” More than 10 years after her breakout role on Disney’s “Girl Meets World,” Carpenter has reinvented herself as an artist who makes money being “pretty and witty.”
She’s often met with backlash for choosing to lean into her sexuality through her music.
“I think it wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure for some people,” Carpenter told Variety. “But I also can’t really help that. It’s not my fault that I got a job when I was 12, and you won’t let me evolve.”
SABRINA CARPENTER CALLS OUT CRITICS OF SUGGESTIVE ALBUM COVER AS HYPOCRITES
While Carpenter enjoys including sexual innuendo here and there, she insists she does have boundaries.
“People think, ‘Oh, she’ll say and do anything.’ No. I really do have boundaries with myself – you’d be surprised!” she says. “I’m just actually living my life, and you’re watching. If you don’t like it, it’s not for you. If you do like it, let’s play.”
She continued, “I want to remember this as a time in my life when I really didn’t hold back. I wore the skirts I wanted to wear; I spoke about things in a way that I won’t regret, because I was very open. I think that’s all that matters.”
WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AFTER SABRINA CARPENTER SLAMS ICE VIDEO USING HER SONG
Carpenter faced backlash over the cover of her latest album, “Man’s Best Friend.” The album cover, which was shared on Instagram in June, was immediately met with harsh criticism as many fans labeled the photograph of the singer on all fours with a man pulling her hair as suggestive. The photo was labeled “dehumanizing” and “tone deaf” in the pop star’s comments section.
“It meant one thing to me and 100 things to other people, and I was looking at it going, ‘That’s valid. Mine’s valid. What’s for dinner?’” Carpenter told Variety. “Not to bypass the weight that it did carry for some people. I saw it and was like, ‘That is a great point. It wasn’t the point I was trying to make.’”
The “Espresso” singer brushed off the noise, noting that fans ultimately listened to the album. Despite the online conversation, Carpenter’s album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
“The [original cover] really says it all, even though it’s maybe not what you want me to say,” she added. “But I was really, really grateful that the fans did listen to the album. It’s been the most beautiful reception.”
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Carpenter previously blamed a generational double standard for the backlash she received over her album cover.
“There is a generation that gets offended by some of the things I do, and it’s a generation that has either young children… or they’ve raised children, and they’re just sort of looking at it from a different point in their life – sort of scolding,” Carpenter said during an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music.
“And they all had sex – many times – because they popped a lot of kids out. So, I just think about that, and I’m always just like, ‘It’s so funny.’ I mean, we’re all, we’re just so judgmental.”
She added, “I’m not allowed to have sex, but you are?”
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Carpenter is no stranger to outrage over her lyrics. She recently addressed criticism of her songs, which often include sexual innuendos. On her “Short n’ Sweet” tour, Carpenter posed in various sex positions during her song “Juno.” The moments often went viral, prompting complaints online.
Her latest album also included several songs with cheeky innuendos. Tracks like “House Tour” and “Tears” have caught the attention of fans.
“I mean, there’s a lot of nuance to this, and I’m not naive to that, but I felt like, ‘Why is this taboo?’ This is something that women experience in such a real way, becoming comfortable with themselves and who they are,” Carpenter told Interview about her choice to write about the touchy topic of sex.
“There’s so many reasons why I called it ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ and there’s so many layers in the experiences that I was going through at the time, where, emotionally, I felt like one.
“I’m really, really grateful that there’s enough of my audience that really knows me as a person that will be able to hear these songs how they’re intended. It’s always going to be up to interpretation and I understand that. But I’m glad you like my sexual content.”
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