Sabrina Carpenter wants us to have a very merry Nonsense Christmas. The pop star just dropped her first holiday special and it's packed with Christmas classics, original Carpenter tunes, and lots of celebrity cameos, including Chappell Roan, Quinta Brunson, and more. While Carpenter knows a musical comedy holiday special with celebrity guests isn't exactly a new concept, she brings her signature cheeky, witty humor, and bombshell glamour to make it her own.
In case you haven't gotten to see the special yet — it's now available on Netflix — check out some of the highlights from A Nonsense Christmas below. Spoilers ahead!
An opening homage to Marilyn Monroe
The special opens with Carpenter singing her Fruitcake EP song “Buy Me Presents," dressed in a strapless magenta gown and long gloves on a red set, similar to Marilyn Monroe's iconic “Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend” performance from 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
From there, she launches into a cheeky parody of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," giving us an idea of what to expect from A Nonsense Christmas. (Hint: lots of jokes and exactly three F-bombs, because that's what is allowed by the censors.)
Duets Galore: Chappell Roan, Tyla, Shania Twain, and Kali Uchis
You can't have a holiday special without a few duets, and A Nonsense Christmas is packed with all sorts of collabs. Carpenter sings several of her solo hits, but her celebrity guests really take things over the top.
First, Tyla joins Carpenter in her “living room” (a set) to sing “This Christmas,” the two pop stars harmonizing beautifully to the beloved Donny Hathaway song with Tyla in a red bow skirt and Carpenter in a Cher-inspired feathered bodysuit.
Later, Carpenter teams up with country legend Shania Twain for a glitzy take on “Santa Baby,” both singers sparkling in sequined dresses. Kali Uchis joins Carpenter to take on “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" while cozied up by the fireplace in their PJs.
Near the end of the special, Chappell Roan shows up to perform Wham's iconic “Last Christmas,” with both stars wearing '80s-style green velvet and faux-fur coats as they sing “karaoke” in a trashed party room sparkling with holiday lights. This one is going to go triple platinum in our houses for sure.
Silly skits
Skits, the cheesier the better, are essential for any good holiday special, and A Nonsense Christmas includes a scene with Meg Stalter and Owen Thiele playing Carpenter's friends who are meeting her new boyfriend Nick — aka Santa — for the first time.
Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson, actor Nico Haraga, and model/actor Cara Delevingne appear in a “Spirit of Ghosted Past” skit about, you guessed it, ghosting. Turns out Haraga's character is a serial ghoster, but after being visited by three of his exes, he sees the error of his ways. Or does he?
“Nonsense” outros
Throughout the special, different guests try their hands at coming up with “Nonsense” outros for Carpenter, to mixed results. She does perform the holiday remix of the song at the end of the special while dressed in a red bodysuit with furry bracelet cuffs. “Well here we are, my special at its ending,” she sings as her actual outro. “Love you all and thank you for attending. Can't believe I kept it family-friendling.”
A blooper reel
You gotta have a blooper reel, and A Nonsense Christmas has a very cute and funny one basically guaranteed to crack you up. Shania Twain asking Santa to slip a “stable” under the tree instead of a “sable,” Chappell Roan making a joke about looking “so straight,” Sabrina Carpenter taking a little tumble, everyone flubbing their lines and breaking into laughter… it's good old-fashioned TV special fun.
