Who Is Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Manchild’ About? See Theories

We’re about to get another summer of Sabrina Carpenter! The international pop sensation recently announced an upcoming single by teasing what appears to be a clip from an accompanying music video. In the snippet, Sabrina is wearing a pair of denim high-waisted shorts, a white crop top and high heels while trying to hitchhike. She then shared a separate Instagram post confirming the song’s title: “Manchild.”

“This one’s about you!!” Sabrina cheekily teased in her Instagram caption on June 3. So, who could this single be about? Fans are, of course, pointing to Sabrina’s most recent ex-boyfriend, Barry Keoghan.

Hollywood Life is breaking down everything we know so far about Sabrina’s new single “Manchild.”

When Does Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Manchild’ Come Out?

The pop singer announced that she’ll drop the single on June 5 at 8 p.m.

Who Is ‘Manchild’ About?

Sabrina has not confirmed — nor will she, most likely — who “Manchild” is about, but fans are convinced that it has to be about Barry. After all, the Masters of the Air alum was the last known public relationship Sabrina was in, so it would make sense if he was her inspiration.

Of course, only the lyrics can do the talking, so “Manchild” may or may not be about Barry. Some fans even speculated that it could be about Shawn Mendes, whom Sabrina was rumored to have briefly dated in 2023.

Why Did Sabrina Carpenter & Barry Keoghan Break Up?

As Sabrina warned in her hit song, “Please Please Please,” don’t prove her right. It looked like Barry did, though, because cheating rumors flew by late 2024 amid the former couple’s breakup. According to Page Six, an anonymous message sent to celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi claimed, “I snooped around a bit out of curiosity and apparently he and his pop star girlfriend called it quits very suddenly less than a week before her final shows in L.A .after she found out he had been chatting with [an] influencer behind her back for months in a not-innocent-at-all way.”

There was, however, no proof behind the cheating rumors. It’s still unclear why Barry and Sabrina actually split. Though the message did not name Barry and Sabrina, the internet rode the gossip train and blasted the Irish actor. In response to the chaos, he deactivated his Instagram account and wrote a message via X about the online inferno.

“I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond [to],” Barry tweeted in December 2024. “I have to respond now because it’s gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed. I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract from my family and my work. The messages I have received no person should ever have to read them. Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”

Barry also accused a person of stalking him and his family by showing up at his relatives’ front door. “That’s crossing a line,” he added without naming Sabrina in his public statement.