Britney Spears watched some clips from this year’s MTV Video Music Awards and revealed that she wasn’t a fan of Sabrina Carpenter’s “weird” debut performance.
“I didn’t watch the VMAs… but I saw YouTube footage of Sabrina Carpenter on my phone,” Spears, 42, said in a video shared on Instagram on Thursday, discussing Carpenter’s performance of “Taste.”
“Why is she kissing an alien on stage?”
Although the longtime pop star stressed that she “adores” Carpenter and “loves her deeply,” she was still baffled by the 25-year-old’s decision to make out with an alien in the middle of her performance.
“I didn’t understand that part,” added the “Toxic” singer, who kissed Madonna at the 2003 VMAs, then asked, “Why didn’t she kiss a girl? That was weird.”
The “Girl Meets World” alum’s performance included several songs from her new album, including “Espresso,” “Taste,” and “Please Please Please.”
Later in Spears’ video, the mother of two was surprised to hear that Carpenter had paid homage to her during the eventful evening.
“This Sabrina girl said my name on the red carpet and I thought it was kind of cool,” the Grammy winner gushed. “Sometimes I forget I’m famous.”
Although she criticized Carpenter’s performance on stage, Spears expressed her gratitude for Carpenter’s comments.
“I’m a mom… I’m pretty old, but that was kind of cool,” she continued. “That Sabrina girl… Carpenter… Thank you! That’s cool! She made me cool!”
During Carpenter’s performance, she honored Spears by playing the monologue from “Oops!… I Did It Again” just before her performance. Carpenter also spotted an astronaut on stage, similar to Spears in the 2000 music video.
And Carpenter wasn’t the only one paying tribute to Spears that night. Many other pop musicians honored the music legend in their own way.
Singer Tate McRae, 21, channeled her inner Britney on the VMAs red carpet in a lace Roberto Cavalli gown. Spears rocked a nearly identical look at the 2001 VMAs.
Megan Thee Stallion also paid tribute to Spears by recreating her iconic “I’m a Slave 4 U” VMA outfit from 2001.
Spears indirectly responded to the outfits by sharing a dance video and captioning it, “Have you seen the VMAS??? You guys make me laugh.”
Spears has not attended the popular awards ceremony since 2016.
