Last Sunday, Sabrina Carpenter performed her hit “Manchild” at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Dressed like a flight attendant at an airport — complete with a white scarf around her neck and a pilot hat — she commanded baggage claim, directing traffic while line dancing and holding a live dove. “Relationships come with lots of baggage, and the song tells the story of many relationships gone wrong,” she tells Rolling Stone in a new interview. “I also wanted to wear the captain hat.”
The following Sunday, one week after the Grammys, is the 2026 Super Bowl, where the Seattle Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots. Bad Bunny, fresh off his historic Album of the Year win, will headline the halftime show, while Green Day will open the ceremony. As for Carpenter, she’ll be starring in a new Super Bowl commercial, one in which she builds her very own manchild: a dude made of Pringles.
“Listen,” Carpenter says, in her defense. “There’s plenty worse out there.”
In the ad, Carpenter and her new boyfriend — Pringleleo, she calls him — are seen dining out at a fancy restaurant, driving around Los Angeles, flying kites, and attending sporting events. But when her superfans (a.k.a. Carpenters) storm towards her, they destroy poor Pringleleo for good. Devastated, Carpenter stares down at his dehydrated-potato-flake corpse, shrugs, and takes a bite. “I think the relationship ran its course,” she tells RS. “But you never know!”
Perhaps her next boyfriend will be made of a different kind of snack? She switches it up when asked: “Can I choose a liquid man? Yerba mate for sure — think of the energy he would have!” (In her Rolling Stone cover story last summer, Carpenter revealed she actually prefers the South American herbal tea over the caffeinated beverage she wrote a hit about).
Maybe Carpenter will debut Mr. Yerba Mate (Yerbaleo?) at her upcoming Coachella performance, her first proper concert since she wrapped her Short n’ Sweet tour last fall. There won’t be a penthouse, she confirms, so what will the show look like? Another airline? A Man’s Best Friend-themed puppy party? “You’ll just have to wait and see,” she says.
