Sabrina Carpenter surprised fans on Christmas Eve by releasing Man’s Best Friend (Bonus Track Version), featuring the newly unveiled song Such a Funny Way.
The 26-year-old pop star dropped the track alongside a lyric video, calling it a ditty she’s ‘so proud of’ and one she always imagined living in the same universe as Man’s Best Friend.
She told fans on social media that the emotional release was meant as a holiday gift, saying she didn’t want them to ‘wait too long’ to hear it.
Carpenter also thanked listeners for embracing the music, describing it as a ‘cathartic Christmas crashout’ and teasing that more is still to come.
The surprise release comes just days after the singer appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she was pressed about which of her exes inspired her recent hit Manchild – a song that has fueled intense fan speculation.
Instead of answering, Carpenter coolly grabbed a beer and took a long sip on camera, letting the moment – and the mystery – speak for itself.
Sabrina Carpenter surprised fans on ChristmasEve by releasing Man’s Best Friend (Bonus Track Version), featuring the newly unveiled song Such a Funny Way; (pictured September)
The 26-year-old pop star dropped the track alongside a lyric video, calling it a ditty she’s ‘so proud of’ and one she always imagined living in the same universe as Man’s Best Friend
On Such a Funny Way, Carpenter leans fully into the emotional whiplash of a one-sided relationship, singing, ‘You have such a funny way of sayin’ “I love you” / Forgettin’ me more every day.’
She skewers her on-again, off-again lover with cutting lines like, ‘My sweater from the night we met… you said, “Don’t contact me again,”’ and ‘Funny everybody knows something that I don’t.’
The song builds to its most biting moment as she admits, ‘I have to laugh just so I don’t cry.’
Meanwhile, Carpenter had already set the internet buzzing back in June when she appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe at ex Barry Keoghan while teasing her then-upcoming single Manchild.
The singer shared a vintage-inspired teaser video announcing the track and quickly fueled speculation when she added: ‘this one’s about you!! “Manchild” is out this Thursday 6/5 8pm EST♥️ special 7” vinyl available now.’
She doubled down by sharing a lyric from the song – ‘Inside of your head when you’ve just won an argument with a man’ – instantly sending fans into a frenzy.
The comment section erupted, with one follower writing, ‘And we know who you are talking about diva,’ while dating app Grindr chimed in, ‘we all thought of him didn’t we.’
Others piled on with reactions like, ‘and just when we needed her most, she returned,’ ‘DRAG HIM BABE WE CAN’T WAIT,’ ‘Oh Barry u are so over,’ and ‘SABRINA SUMMER IS BACK.’
She told fans on social media that the emotional release was meant as a holiday gift, saying she didn’t want them to ‘wait too long’ to hear it
The surprise release comes just days after the singer appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she was pressed about which of her exes inspired her recent hit Manchild – a song that has fueled intense fan speculation
One fan even tied it directly to her past work, writing, ‘he didn’t listen when you wrote please please please, so he deserves this song,’ referencing the track that previously featured Keoghan in its music video.
Sabrina and Barry began dating in December 2023 before going public with their romance at the Met Gala in May 2024.
While the pair were believed to have split by December, reports later suggested they were on and off, with sources claiming their demanding schedules put increasing strain on the relationship.
The actor was later hit with rumors of infidelity, though an insider told Us Weekly he was ‘very devoted to her happiness,’ adding that they were simply ‘at different places in their lives.’
The source said the relationship became difficult as Carpenter’s career exploded, noting she was being pulled in ‘so many directions’ and had little time to maintain a relationship.
Another insider said the breakup happened within ‘the last month’ due to their conflicting schedules, stressing that there was ‘no bad blood’ between the pair and that the split was ‘not contentious.’
Asked previously by Rolling Stone about referring to Keoghan as her boyfriend, Carpenter coyly replied, ‘How do I skirt around this question?’ before adding, ‘The [dating] pool is the pool, and when you meet people that feel authentic and are so brilliant and amazing in every way, that’s what you do.’
She added at the time, ‘Obviously, I write songs about exactly how I feel, so I guess I can’t be so surprised that people are interested in who and what those songs are about.’
