White House uses Sabrina Carpenter ‘SNL’ clip in new ICE deportation video
The White House has used a clip of Sabrina Carpenter to promote ICE in another deportation video, directly ignoring her public backlash to its “inhumane agenda”.
Earlier this week, the official White House accounts posted a first short montage clip of masked ICE agents carrying out arrests. The video was soundtracked by Carpenter’s hit song ‘Juno’ from her 2024 album, Short n’ Sweet.
Later, they also posted a second clip of the star, as attached to their Immigration and Customs work, on December 5th. The new video manipulates a different Carpenter moment, taking her recent appearance from Saturday Night Live.
During the show, she “arrested” a member of the show, as per her usual playful tour tidbit during the song ‘Juno’. In the original SNL commercial, Carpenter said, “I think I might need to arrest someone for being too hot.” Marcello Hernández responds, “Oh well, I turn myself in.” She then handcuffs him while saying, “You’re under arrest.”
However, the White House has altered the audio so it sounds as if she says “illegal” instead of “hot”. The clip then cuts to allegedly undocumented immigrants being chased and arrested. The caption reads: “PSA: If you’re a criminal illegal, you WILL be arrested & deported.”
When Carpenter discovered the first clip circulating online, she hit out at the Trump administration with a short but fiery tweet. She wrote, “The video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
In response, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson issued a statement, saying: “Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: We won’t apologise for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country.”
By posting another video, they appear to have directly ignored her complaint. Nonetheless, on the same day the second post was uploaded, the White House removed the first clip. However, it is still available to view on TikTok.
Carpenter has yet to comment on the second unauthorised use of her likeness.
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