Sabrina Carpenter reveals she tumbled onto a cactus while shooting “Manchild”

09 December 2025

Sabrina Carpenter on Late Night With Seth Meyers | Lloyd Bishop/NBC

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter recently opened up about a painful behind-the-scenes mishap during the filming of her ambitious music video for “Manchild”. The 26-year-old told viewers on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that while shooting outdoors she accidentally fell into a cactus. What began as a moment of awkward amusement quickly turned into real pain, prompting tears on-set and medical attention to remove cactus spines from her skin.

The video shoot, a sprawling production filmed on a ranch in Santa Clarita, California, spanned three days and involved 37 outfit changes. Carpenter described the endeavor as “the biggest shoot I’ve ever done,” and despite the painful cactus incident she said she remained devoted to seeing the project through.

“Manchild,” the lead single from her current album Man's Best Friend, has already become one of her most celebrated visual works. It has drawn widespread attention not only for its cinematic ambition but also because it has secured four nominations at the upcoming Grammy Awards: Best Music Video, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.

The singer recalled the cactus accident with honesty and a touch of humor. She admitted she initially laughed admitting “It is so easy to laugh when people get hurt” before the pain truly hit and she began crying. A medic on-site helped her through the immediate aftermath, but she spent much of the rest of the day carefully removing cactus spines from her skin.

Despite the discomfort, Carpenter said the ordeal was worth it. She hailed the video as a realization of her creative vision and thanked fans for their support. She urged viewers to watch the finished product, expressing pride that her most ambitious video to date finally came to light exactly as she had imagined.

The “Manchild” video does more than showcase striking visuals. It reflects Carpenter’s unwavering drive to push the boundaries of contemporary pop music. Known for blending catchy melodies with bold, provocative imagery, she has carved out a space that challenges expectations and rejects easy categorization.

Fans and critics alike have taken note. The willingness to endure hardship for art whether it is a desert shoot or an injury from a cactus adds a layer of authenticity to her work that resonates beyond mere spectacle. In an era where polished perfection often dominates pop, Carpenter’s transparency and grit stand out as refreshingly real.

The entire episode underscores a rarely acknowledged truth of filmmaking and music video production: behind the glamour and glitz lie moments of genuine risk and sacrifice. For Carpenter this meant trading red carpets and studio comfort for a desert landscape, a cactus, and a piece of art that lives up to her vision.

Whether “Manchild” claims its Grammy awards or not the video has already earned Carpenter respect among peers and fans. It is a testament to the lengths she will go to bring her creative ambitions to life. According to her, enduring a few hours of pain was a small price to pay to deliver something she deeply believed in.