Imagine feeling outraged when your own creative work is exploited for a purpose you completely oppose—yeah, that’s exactly what Sabrina Carpenter experienced recently. But here’s where it gets controversial: the singer publicly condemned the White House after they used her song 'Juno' in a highly charged deportation video involving ICE, sparking a heated debate about artists’ rights and political misuse of music.
On Tuesday, Carpenter took to social media to express her disgust, calling the video 'evil and disgusting.' She explicitly stated, 'Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.' The video, posted by the White House on Monday, features disturbing imagery of ICE officers detaining individuals, with Carpenter’s song serving as the soundtrack. By quoting lyrics from her track, they seemingly added a provocative touch, with the caption 'Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.'
In response, White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson issued a sharp retort: 'Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: we won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?' Her words clearly highlight the administration’s viewpoint, but also raise questions about the ethical boundaries of using music in such contexts.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Other artists have recently spoken out against similar unauthorized uses. For example, in October, Kenny Loggins voiced strong objections after discovering his hit 'Danger Zone' from Top Gun had been used in an AI-generated Trump video depicting him in a grotesque scene—Trump supposedly dropping feces on protesters. Loggins emphasized, 'This is an unauthorized use of my performance of ‘Danger Zone.’ Nobody asked me for permission, which I would have denied. I request that my recording be removed immediately.' Despite his protests, the video remains on Trump’s Truth Social account, raising questions about respect for artists' rights.
Similarly, last month, Olivia Rodrigo openly condemned the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security for using her song 'All-American Bitch' in a video promoting the self-deportation of undocumented immigrants. She made her stance unmistakably clear in the comments: 'Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.'
These incidents highlight a recurring issue—artists’ works being co-opted for political agendas without their consent, causing controversy and sparking debates about artistic freedom, ethics, and the boundaries of political manipulation. The question remains: should celebrities have more control over how their music is used by powerful institutions? Or are they simply powerless against the machinery of politics? Share your thoughts—do artists deserve a say in how their work is exploited, or is it just part of the game?
