Sabrina Carpenter's 'Man's Best Friend's Spicy Lyrics Are About Exes, Shawn, Barry Keoghan, More?

Sabrina Carpenter has been leading the headlines with her seventh album, Man's Best Friend. The album was released on August 29, 2025, and ahead of that, the single lead, Manchild, debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, setting the biggest opening week for a female artist in the UK. Before the release, several debates had been ongoing, with some feeling that the album would perpetuate the male gaze, while others viewed it as a feminist satire. Sabrina has already clarified that the lyrics aren't for the 'pearl-clutchers'.

What inspired Sabrina Carpenter to make the sassy album, Man's Best Friend? Was it her exes?

Now that the album has been dropped, Sabrina Carpenter has been grabbing attention once again with her bold, witty, retro-styled Pop album, featuring a breakup theme. While some felt that the album is 'pop's celeverest jester', and a 'sincere but sexy breakup album', some feel that it's not as deep as flashy. Well, Sabrina's fans and the netizens feel that the lyrics are secretly about Sabrina's exes.

While she didn't directly confirm the same, during a Q&A with Owen Thiele, Sabrina revealed that she started working on this album, Man's Best Friend, soon after Short N' Sweet (which brought her two Grammys). Sabirna revealed that she was going through a lot in her personal life, and if she had stopped writing, it would have been really bad. Talking about the recently released album, Sabrina said:

"I started writing this album pretty much the day after I finished Short n' Sweet because I was in the midst of a lot, personally, in my head, and I was like, 'It would be really bad if I just stopped writing'".

Sabrina Carpenter's sassy lyrics from Man's Best Friend subtly hint at her exes through rhymes, curses and more?

As the album was released, Sabrina's fans now feel that much of the lyrics are secretly hinting at her exes. For example, in the lyrics of the track, Go Go Juice, Sabrina used names such as 'Gosh', 'Larry', 'John' or 'Villian', and netizens felt that she rhymed it with her exes like Joshuya, Barry, Shawn, and Dylen. Be it anything, Sabrina has always been a master of cheeky pop with hidden meanings, and this time, it's not different either.

In another track, Never Getting Laid, she showcased her sassy side by wishing her exes happiness, albeit with a curse, and the album concluded with Goodbye. Well, Sabrina herself once said that she finds it fun when people guess who she directed with her song rather than her spilling the secrets, and thus, making it more compelling for the Pop star and obviously for us, by getting the drama.

Breakdown of the tracks' lyrics from Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend

The album, Man's Best Friend, features 12 tracks in total, and they deal with sexual frustration, breakup, dealing with mistreatment in relationships, and, while not entirely confirmed, most of the songs are reportedly inspired by her most recent ex, Barry Keoghan, whom she started dating in 2023, and reportedly broke up in 2024. While they maintained silence over their breakup, sources claimed that they wanted to focus on their respective careers, but several dramas unfolded regarding their split.

Sources revealed to The Sun that Barry's party lifestyle caused a strain in his and Sabrina's relationship, and his behaviour after alcohol consumption used to frustrate Sabrina. There were claims about him cheating on Sabrina once, which, although later proved to be a false rumour. In another track, Tears, she talked about treatment in a relationship.

In My Man on Willpower, she revealed how things went out of hand when her 'Man' went into so much self-improvement that it turned out to be a 'self-restraint' which she doesn't understand. Just like that, with sassy songwriting technique, Sabrina left us in awe again. In her track, Nobody's Son, he expresses her disappointment in men, while in Sugar Talking she calls out someone for trying too hard to win her over. In a word, the album is full of sass, just like the one that Sabrina serves.

Sabrina Carpenter's past relationships

Sabrina's personal life often grabbed the attention. She first dated Disney actor, Bradley Steven Perry and eventually broke up back in 2015, after a year of dating. Following this, she was reportedly dating Olivia Rodrigo's ex, Joshua Bassett. This relationship was also short-lived. Sabrina was rumoured to have had a fling with Shawn Mendes, and reportedly, they parted ways after he got back together with his ex, Camila Cabello, which allegedly inspired Sabrina to write her hottest song, Taste. After that, she started dating Barry Keoghan, with whom she worked in Please, Please, Please. However, she broke up with Barry last year.

Do you think Sabrina took digs at her exes with her sassy lyrics, again?

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