The 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony delivered memorable performances but disappointing results for two prominent artists. According to a February 1 report by Hilary Lewis in The Hollywood Reporter, both Sabrina Carpenter and Tyler, the Creator delivered splendid musical showcases that captivated audiences, yet significantly underperformed when it came to actual award wins.
Grammy Nominations Turn Into Major Snubs
Tyler, the Creator managed to secure just one award out of his six nominations. He earned the Grammy for Best Album Cover for his work Chromakopia, but unfortunately lost in the other five categories where he was nominated. The outcome was even more disheartening for Sabrina Carpenter, who failed to win any of her six Grammy nominations.
Sabrina Carpenter's Grammy Nominations Breakdown
The singer-songwriter's 2025 song "Manchild" from her album "Man's Best Friend" received multiple high-profile nominations. The track was in contention for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Music Video. Additionally, the album itself was nominated for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, making her shutout particularly notable given the breadth of categories.
PETA's Strong Criticism Over Live Bird Performance
Beyond the Grammy snubs, Sabrina Carpenter faced significant backlash from animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). During her performance of "Manchild" at the Grammy Awards, she tenderly held a white dove in her hand, a theatrical choice that quickly drew condemnation.
PETA released an official statement on social media platform X, directly addressing the singer: "Hey Sabrina, bringing a live bird onto the Grammys stage is stupid, slow, useless...and cruel! Bright lights, loud noise, and handling cause fear and distress for a bird who belongs flying free in the open sky." The organization captioned their post with additional criticism: "Did Sabrina Carpenter really just bring a bird on stage in 2026?! The Manchild singer is giving childlike behavior. Leave animals out of the #GRAMMYs!"
Reports indicate that after her performance, when Carpenter went backstage to celebrate with her crew, she noticed something on her hand and remarked, "It's [----] on my hand," though the exact wording remains unclear from available reports.
Super Bowl Commercial Brings Redemption
The next day brought a significant positive development for the 26-year-old artist. Pringles released their Super Bowl LX advertisement featuring Sabrina Carpenter as the main character, providing a much-needed career boost following the Grammy disappointments and controversy.
The "Pringleleo" Commercial Concept
Pringles U.S. released four YouTube clips promoting the advertisement, with a teaser having been launched two weeks earlier. The main commercial begins as an old classic movie titled "Pringles present LOVE AT FIRST BITE featuring Sabrina Carpenter."
In the one-minute-one-second clip, the famous pop singer opens by declaring, "So tired of boys, I need a man." She then glances at Pringles and creatively constructs a man made entirely out of the snack chips, naming him "Pringleleo." The commercial follows their romantic adventures including:
- A dinner date
- A car ride
- Kite flying
- A "kiss cam" moment on a Jumbotron
The narrative takes a dramatic turn when, after a performance, Carpenter emerges to meet Pringleleo only to encounter a storm of fans rushing toward her. She pauses to take a pen from her bodyguard presumably for autographs, but the fans instead swarm and consume Pringleleo. Watching her chip-based companion being devoured by the horde, she sits down in agony, observes his distorted figure, and begins eating what remains of her potato-chip paramour. The commercial concludes with the memorable tagline: "Once you pop, the pop don't stop!"
Strategic Marketing Behind the Advertisement
Diane Sayler, a senior director at Mars Snacking, explained the strategic thinking behind the commercial to Brian Steinberg of Variety. She emphasized that "One of the worst possible things that can happen to a Super Bowl marketer is the audience remembers your celebrity or your song or your ad concept, but not your brand." This insight guided the careful creation of the Pringles Super Bowl commercial to ensure viewers would remember the product itself, not merely the celebrity endorsement.
The commercial successfully achieved this balance, leveraging Sabrina Carpenter's star power while keeping the focus firmly on the Pringles brand and product experience.
