‘Sweetie just sit this one out’: All Christina Aguilera’s surprise appearance at Sabrina Carpenter’s concert does is remind she once ‘bullied’ a 16 year old

Christina Aguilera’s surprise appearance at a Sabrina Carpenter show has reminded fans of a years-old supposed beef she had with a then-teenage Melanie Martinez. 

If you’re wondering exactly what revived this fan discussion, let me spill a little pop star tea. Carpenter brought out Aguilera for an impromptu set during the Los Angeles stop of her Short ‘n Sweet tour at Crypto.com Arena over the weekend. The pair performed duet versions of Aguilera’s hit songs “Ain’t No Other Man” and “What a Girl Wants”, with Carpenter heard referring to Aguilera as her “idol.”

Judging by fan captured footage of the duets, the response was feverish, with users flocking to social media to express their excitement around the duo’s performance. One post on X, however, referred to Aguilera’s fraught history with Mariah Carey and in doing so, reminded fans of the former’s feud with Martinez. “This’s what teenage Christina had expected from her idol Mariah instead of being bullied by her,” one fan wrote about Aguilera’s support for Carpenter. “I’m so glad [Christina] is welcoming new artists in such a generous way.”

For those unfamiliar, the X is referencing Aguilera and Carey’s years-old tit-for-tat in the press back in the 2000s, when the pair were caught trading barbs at one another. While, for many fans, Aguilera’s appearance at the Carpenter show was a reminder of the relationship she couldn’t have with Carey, others had a deeper knowledge of Aguilera’s fraught history with Martinez. “Didn’t Christina bully Melanie Martinez liiiikeeee bffr,” a fan wrote in response to claims that Carey had bullied the singer, while another quipped that “Christina literally bullied Melanie Martinez so the irony is surreal.”

That name-drop of Martinez calls back to 2012, when the then-16-year-old auditioned during season three of The Voice, and received harsh criticism by Aguilera, who was a judge on the show. The awkward post-performance interaction saw Aguilera criticize Martinez for “not even looking at me,” and take issue with Martinez’s song choice of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”.

Martinez would go on to enjoy a successful career regardless of Aguilera’s criticisms, but fans familiar with this context have hit back against claims that Aguilera was only ever on the receiving end of bullies like Carey, as well as the idea that she has “welcom[ed] new artists,” which didn’t feel like the case with Martinez. 

The ordeal has led to a resurfaced debate about Aguilera and Carey’s feuds with other musicians, with some recalling singer Jojo’s issues with Aguilera or reviving Carey’s supposed beef with Nicki Minaj. One fan summed up the hullabaloo quite well, writing that they are a “fan of both [Aguilera and Carey],” and that “neither are innocent but this is old news.” One person equally unbothered by the years-old beef is Carpenter, who wrote on Instagram after Aguilera’s surprise performance that she is “one of the main reasons i love + wanted to make pop music.” 

Regardless of all the chatter, each artist mentioned is a bonafide star in their own right (Carey has already begun her annual defrosting), and the intense reaction from fans is merely evidence of how passionate their audience is. Petition for Aguilera, Carey, Martinez, and Carpenter to release a collaborative single starts now.