Sabrina Carpenter is sort of tied to the Eric Adams federal investigation
A Catholic priest and bishop in Brooklyn disagreed over Sabrina Carpenter filming her racy music video in their church. It turns out, the deal may have had a role in the Eric Adams investigation.
New reports say pop star Sabrina Carpenter, of all people, is connected to the historic indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
It all started when Carpenter — a Quakertown native — filmed scenes from her “Feather” music video at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The video, which premiered last Halloween, shows Carpenter wearing a short black tulle number with a matching veil while playfully dancing in front of pastel-hued coffins.
At the time of the premiere, Catholic church leadership said they were horrified by the video’s “violent and sexually provocative” nature (a gaggle of mansplainers, cat-callers, and creeps are killed off in the video, splattering Carpenter in fake blood). Carpenter responded by saying her team received permission to film the video — and that “Jesus was a carpenter.” (The phrase would later appear on a T-shirt she rocked while performing at Coachella this summer.)
Still, the Brooklyn Diocese was so troubled by the video, it demoted the priest who approved the filming: Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello. Gigantiello — who is also the New York City Fire Department chaplain — said his team didn’t know anything provocative would be happening in the shoot and asked for forgiveness. But Bishop Robert Brennan was reportedly “appalled,” calling the video shoot a “desecration of the church” in a statement and relieving Gigantiello of his administrative duties.
This is where things get interesting.
Last week, federal investigators issued a subpoena to the church requesting information on “business dealings” between Gigantiello and Adams’ former chief of staff Frank Carone. Carone was Adams’ chief of staff until he resigned in 2022 to run a consulting firm. He now chairs Adams’ reelection campaign.
The Brooklyn Diocese responded to media inquiries about the subpoena with the following statement: “It would be inappropriate to comment further on that review, which is still ongoing. The Diocese is fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement in all investigations, including conduct at individual parishes or involving any priest.”
The New York Post and other news outlets, like Politico, suggest the latter part of that statement implies that Carpenter’s “Feather” music video shoot may have led to a review of Gigantiello’s business and, in turn, a federal probe into Adams.
Gigantiello and Carone have been photographed together and have been close friends for decades. According to Politico, the priest wears a flashy Rolex and is despised by the bishop. Politico added that federal investigators have been investigating Gigantiello and Carone’s business dealings for “a number of months” and communicating with lawyers for the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Politics aside, it’s been a big year for Carpenter — whose monumental singles “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please,” ramped up anticipation for her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, which was released a month ago.
Carpenter was born in Bucks County and homeschooled in Montgomery County before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her career when she was 13. As a child star, she sang the national anthem and “God Bless America” at Phillies and Eagles games years back. Last year, she joined Berks County’s Taylor Swift as an opener for the European leg of Swift’s Eras Tour.
Carpenter will return to her old stomping grounds on Oct. 8 at the Wells Fargo Center, as part of her first headlining arena tour, also called Short n’ Sweet.