Susan Sarandon is back in the spotlight – thanks to Sabrina Carpenter.
The Oscar winner made a surprise cameo during Carpenter’s Coachella headlining set on Friday, after claiming she was Blacklisted in Hollywood for pro-Palestinian views.
Carpenter, 26, was making her epic headliner debut, transforming the stage into her cheeky “Sabrinawood,” styled like the iconic Hollywood sign, as she sang hits like “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please.”
But it was Sarandon’s unexpected appearance – where she played an older version of the pop star in a dramatic segment – that shocked fans.
The 79-year-old “Thelma & Louise” star appeared in a nearly seven-minute interlude set that resembled a nostalgic drive-in movie scene, sitting behind the wheel of a vintage car in a flowing white dress with blonde hair styled like the Carpenters.
They were joined by Carpenter’s former “Girl Meets World” co-star Corey Fogelmanis, who played a tired waiter trying to get food.
In the segment, Sarandon’s “old Sabrina” reflects on her younger years and how she is missed, describing how her niece looks at old photos and videos of her but struggles to connect them to the person she knows.
Sarandon’s “elder Sabrina” says, “Auntie Sabrina is happy, but she doesn’t smile.”
The cameo comes as Sarandon spoke out about being pushed out of Hollywood following backlash over comments she made at a pro-Palestine rally in the wake of a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
At the event in NYC’s Union Square on November 17, 2023, he said that Jewish Americans were “getting a taste of what it’s like to be Muslim in America,” later apologizing and calling it a “terrible mistake.”
Sarandon was also Seen at an anti-Israel protest at Columbia University In April 2024, wore a leather coat jacket with an image of Bart Simpson on its red leather sleeves.
In an interview in November 2024 london timeSarandon said she was fired by her agency and lost projects, adding that she felt she had been made “an example of what not to do” in the industry.
Her Coachella appearance marked a rare high-profile moment amid that fallout — and it wasn’t the only celebrity cameo packed into Carpenter’s ambitious set.
Will Ferrell appeared as an electrician pulling electrical cables on stage, while Samuel L. Jackson lent his voice to a recreated moment during “Juno”, speaking rapidly: “Hello, Coachella… I’m here to take your mothers on this journey of relaxation.”
The show began with a cinematic black-and-white introduction featuring Sam Elliott as an undercover cop warning Carpenter not to go to California.
“You know it’s not right. It’s wrong,” he says in the clip.
Still, one unscripted moment briefly threatened to steal focus from the star-studded spectacle.
At one point, Carpenter stopped when he heard an unusual noise from the crowd.
“I think I heard someone running around,” she asked, staring out into the audience, “Is that what you’re doing?”
When the fan confirmed this, Carpenter candidly responded: “I don’t like it.”
The concertgoer tried to explain that it was “part of their culture”, prompting Carpenter to respond, “That’s your culture, yodeling?”
“Is this the burning man?” the singer quipped. “What’s going on? This is weird,” she said before quickly moving on and continuing the show.
