Sabrina Carpenter Says Her Parents ‘Loved’ Her Controversial NSFW ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Cover

Before people had even heard Sabrina Carpenter‘s new album Man’s Best Friend, many had formed opinions on it based on the cover alone.

After the pop star revealed in June that the front of the LP would feature a photo of herself down on all fours, held in place by a man grabbing onto a fistful of her hair, the internet saw by a wave of criticism calling Carpenter’s artwork anti-feminist and degrading to women. But according to her, she had no idea the picture would elicit such a strong reaction.

“I was actually shocked, because I think between me and my friends and my family and the people that I always share my music and my art with first, it just wasn’t even a conversation,” she told Gayle King on CBS Mornings Friday (Aug. 29). “It was just, like, it’s perfect. For what the album is, it’s perfect for what it represents, and everything about it to me just felt so opposite of, like, the world ending.”

“My fans that know me and know the person behind the music will look at that photo, and they know exactly what it is,” she continued. “And people that have no idea who I am absolutely look at that photo and go, like, ‘Where are her parents?’ My parents actually saw the photo and they loved it.”

The interview arrives on the same day that Man’s Best Friend dropped in full, complete with 12 tracks demonstrating the same witty, sexually charged lyricism Carpenter honed on 2024 Billboard 200-topping breakthrough LP Short n’ Sweet. Though chatter surrounding the artwork has largely died down — with Carpenter also releasing a few alternate covers that were all comparatively more conservative over the past few weeks — the star has long been fielding criticism over the way she embraces her sexuality in her work.

On CBS Mornings, the singer explained that the Man’s Best Friend cover in particular has more nuance to it than some people may realize. “My interpretation is being in on the control,” she told King of the photo. “Being in on your lack of control and when you want to be in control. Like, I think as a young woman, you’re, you’re just as aware of when you’re in control as when you’re not. And I think some of those are choices, and I think for me, this whole album was about the humanity of allowing yourself to make those mistakes, knowing when you’re putting yourself in a situation that will probably end up poorly.”

Watch the full interview below.