Sabrina Carpenter hosts SNL as album art controversy and performs

Sabrina Carpenter served as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 18, delivering two live performances, an opening monologue that addressed recent controversy around her album art, and a string of sketches — one of which was briefly affected by a technical issue. The New York City broadcast from Studio 8H featured Carpenter singing Manchild and Nobodys Son from her album Mans Best Friend, and included an uncensored expletive during the latter that aired on the East Coast broadcast and the Peacock simulcast before being muted for the West Coast airing and later online uploads.

Carpenter opened her musical portion with Manchild on a bedroom-themed set, wearing a T-shirt and SNL-branded underwear, then returned later in a bejeweled karate-style robe for Nobodys Son, a high-energy number that incorporated martial-arts choreography and staged breakable boards. During the Nobodys Son performance she twice sang the explicit line He sure fucked me up, which was heard live on some feeds and removed from subsequent uploads.

The broadcast glitch prompted questions about network censorship and potential regulatory consequences. It is unclear whether the network will...