Sabrina Carpenter took to the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards stage tonight and performed her latest single, "Tears," off of her new album Man's Best Friend.
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The singer was accompanied by several RuPaul's Drag Race queens such as Denali, Willam, Symone, Laganja Estranja and Lexi Love. Throughout the performance, the queens — along with Carpenter's backup dancers — held up signs advocating for trans rights.
RuPaul's Drag Race stars Laganja Estranja, Lexi Love; Denali, Symone, Willam performing alongside Sabrina Carpenter at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for MTV
While Carpenter went into a telephone booth at one point in the performance, the cameras returned to the Drag Race queens and backup dancers — who were now prominently holding up signs with messages such as:
"Support local drag"
"DOLLS DOLLS DOLLS"
"Brace for change"
"Tip dolls"
"If you hate you'll never get laid"
"Good bi"
"In trans we trust"
"We are everywhere / Respect your mother"
"Protect trans rights"
"Love each other"
Signs advocating for trans rights being held up during Sabrina Carpenter's 'Tears' performance at the 2025 MTV Music Video Awards.
CBS/MTV/Paramount+
But wait, there's more!
Besides featuring Drag Race queens, Carpenter also brought out Dashaun Wesley — host of all three seasons of HBO Max's Legendary — and Honey Balenciaga, who competed on Legendary and was a dancer alongside Beyoncé for The Renaissance Tour.
Sabrina Carpenter performing 'Tears' alongside Legendary host Dashaun Wesley and competitor Honey Balenciaga at the 2025 MTV Music Video Awards.
Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images
Carpenter subsequently won the Best Album award at the 2025 VMAs and delivered a speech in which she shouted out the Drag Race queens who had just performed with her. The singer said:
"To my queens: This world, as we all know, can be so full of criticism and discrimination and negativity. So to get to be part of something so… more often than not, that can bring you light, make you smile, make you dance, and make you feel like the world is yours… I'm so grateful. So grateful to do that."
It's worth noting that this particular VMAs ceremony isn't just airing on MTV (cable TV) and Paramount+ (streaming service), but it's also being transmitted live on CBS.
The VMAs airing on broadcast television means that a much larger audience than average will have seen this moment of allyship from Carpenter and fierceness from the Drag Race stars.
Sabrina Carpenter's performance to "Tears" at the 2025 Video Music Awards — which featured RuPaul's Drag Race queens dancing and holding up signs advocating for trans rights, can be watched below.
