Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter Clash Over Response Times During VMA Speech
The pop icons' acceptance speech for Best Collaboration took an awkward turn when Madonna commented on Carpenter's team's communication.
Pop superstar Madonna drew an audible reaction from the audience at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday when she publicly commented on Sabrina Carpenter's team's communication.
During their acceptance speech for Best Collaboration for their duet "Bring Your Love," Madonna recounted her initial efforts to connect with Carpenter. "Everybody who knows me knows how impatient I am, and when five days passed and I still didn't get connected with Sabrina and didn't hear back from her about whether she wanted to do a song with me - five days! - I DM'ed her," Madonna stated.
The comment appeared to be a jab at Carpenter's entourage, prompting the younger artist to defensively respond, "My team replies! Just so everybody knows, they do respond to people!" Carpenter then acknowledged with a nervous laugh that "I respond faster, so direct line to me is always the best way to get in contact."
Despite the public critique, Madonna later shifted to praise Carpenter, highlighting their professional compatibility. "I love working with you because you are so professional, and in this day and age it's really hard to find professional people to work with," Madonna said. She added that their shared "OCD" and meticulous approach to songwriting contributed to their successful collaboration.
Madonna, 68, and Carpenter, 27, accepted the award at the Peacock Theater. The win was for the video of their duet, which was also nominated for Song of the Year. Madonna's "Confessions II (The Film)" also won Video of the Year, beating Carpenter's "Tears."
Madonna led the nominations at this year's VMAs with 11 nods, narrowly surpassing Taylor Swift's nine. Swift, however, secured the inaugural Artist Director Honors Award, bringing her total VMA wins to 31, making her the artist with the most VMA wins in history, ahead of Beyoncé who has 30.
Madonna's performance at the VMAs included an opening set with Carpenter and Charli XCX. Madonna's performance marked her return to the VMA stage since 2003, when she famously kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.