Sabrina Carpenter’s ACL 2025 performance featured an unexpected arrest during her “Juno” routine, and “Stranger Things” actor Joe Keery was the complacent victim. After “arresting” the actor onstage, Carpenter changed a lyric in her song just for him. The light, flirty exchange later sparked social media buzz. It also prompted fresh dating chatter after the two followed each other on Instagram.
Sabrina Carpenter tweaks ‘Juno’ lyrics after arresting Joe Keery at ACL fest
Joe Keery was under arrest before Sabrina Carpenter’s “Juno” performance at the ACL 2025. The Austin City Limits 2025 was set on October 4, and Carpenter’s chemistry with Keery drove the crowd wild. In a fan-shot clip on X (formerly Twitter), the 26-year-old pointed to Keery in the crowd and asked, “What’s your name?” He shouted back, “Joe.” The singer replied, “Hi, Joe,” as he waved with a wide smile.
Carpenter asked, “Joe, where are you from?” to which he responded with “Boston.” She laughed, quipping, “Boston? Damn it! Rhymes with Austin, though. It’s close enough.” She then explained, “You know, Joe, it’s actually cuffing season. I don’t know if you know that.” By then, Keery had already extended his wrists to be cuffed. Holding a pair of handcuffs, Carpenter teased, “You seem very eager, actually. This is so rare,” before handing them to him and saying, “Okay, you’re the one. We did it, Joe.”
Keery twirled the cuffs in the air as Carpenter told the crowd, “I’m gonna sing this next song.” She added, “This is dedicated to Joe, everybody.” Meanwhile, while performing the song, she tweaked the line “Oh, I hear you knockin’, baby, come on up” to “Oh, I hear you knockin’, Joe, come on up.”
The “cuffing” bit is a recurring segment the pop singer introduced on her 2024 Short n’ Sweet Tour, where she playfully “arrests” a special guest before “Juno.” Past participants included notable names, such as Millie Bobby Brown and Ayo Edebiri.
Sabrina Carpenter’s ACL 2025 cameo with Joe Keery and his arrest during “Juno” was a playful highlight — one that pleased their fans and quickly became a viral moment.
