Sabrina Carpenter once believed she would marry Paul McCartney: 'I thought he was only 10 years older'

Sabrina Carpenter talked about the moment she fell in love with Paul McCartney as a child on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'
UPDATED DEC 14, 2024
Sabrina Carpenter recalled falling in love with Paul McCartney after hearing a Beatles song on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' (Getty Images)
Sabrina Carpenter recalled falling in love with Paul McCartney after hearing a Beatles song on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' (Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Sabrina Carpenter opened up about her childhood infatuation with Paul McCartney during her Thursday, December 12, appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'.

The 25-year-old 'Espresso' singer revealed that she "fell in love" with McCartney after hearing the Beatles song, 'Rocky Raccoon', as a child.  



 

Sabrina Carpenter was convinced Paul McCartney would be her 'future husband' after listening to 'Rocky Raccoon'

"When I was very, very young, my dad played me 'Rocky Raccoon' for the first time, and I was so mesmerized by that song and the songwriting of it all that I fell in love with Paul McCartney," Sabrina Carpenter recalled.

But her childhood dream of marrying the music icon was complicated by a small detail she overlooked.

"I was convinced that was my husband, my future husband. But he was quite old, and I was so young. I didn’t understand that he was much older than me because I was looking at all these photos. I thought he was ‘young’ and only like 10 years older than me," the 'Please Please Please' hitmaker shared.

Carpenter quipped, "I didn’t understand math. I was a child.”

Earlier this year, the 25-year-old finally got the chance to meet McCartney at the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony honoring Jon Bon Jovi ahead of the Grammys, and the two even posed for a photo. 

Sabrina Carpenter and Paul McCartney attend the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Jon Bon Jovi during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Sabrina Carpenter and Paul McCartney attend the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Jon Bon Jovi during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 2, 2024, in Los Angeles, California (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Recalling the meeting, Carpenter said, "I just formed tears in my eyes, and he was just so normal and casual and was so charming." 

"It felt like I was entering an alternate universe… like the Upside Down vibes? Like 'Stranger Things', but a lot happier than 'Stranger Things,'" added the former Disney Channel star. 

She also praised McCartney for his warmth and ability to make everyone in the room feel "seen and heard."

Sabrina Carpenter on seeing herself on her Spotify Wrapped

Earlier this week, Sabrina Carpenter revealed to Vogue Arabia that she ended up on her own Spotify Wrapped list of top artists this year with her hit song 'Espresso'. 

"When I first saw mine, my initial reaction was, ‘Oh damn, I can’t post that, because I’m on my own [list]. It’s a bit conceited,'" she said, and quickly added, "Then I was like, I guess it’s a good thing that I’m on my list and listening to my own music, because it means I f*** with what I do."

Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2024 Time100 Next at Chelsea Piers on October 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2024 Time100 Next at Chelsea Piers on October 9, 2024, in New York City (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

She also shared her other top artists, which included Dolly Parton, ABBA, Kacey Musgraves, and the Bee Gees.

Carpenter's chart-topping hit 'Espresso' racked up over 1.6 billion streams on Spotify, becoming the platform’s most-streamed song of the year.

And her sixth studio album, 'Short n’ Sweet', didn’t disappoint either—it topped the Billboard 200 and landed as Spotify’s third-most popular album, trailing only Taylor Swift’s 'The Tortured Poets Department' and Billie Eilish’s 'Hit Me Hard and Soft'.

She is currently enjoying a well-deserved break after wrapping up the North American leg of her 'Short n’ Sweet' Tour in November. Carpenter will hit the road again in March for a string of arena shows across Europe. 

MORE STORIES

The post Khloe Kardashian liked featured Charlie Kirk speaking with a fan at an event about his devout Christian faith
Sep 13, 2025
Whitney Cummings sparked widespread outrage after posting a controversial tweet about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Sep 13, 2025
Prince Harry was spotted entering King Charles’s London residence, months after saying his father had ignored his calls
Sep 11, 2025
Rosie O'Donnell said Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship denial hurt so much she printed T-shirts for her staff reading, 'I don’t know Rosie, we’re not friends'
Sep 10, 2025
A post alleged that Karoline Leavitt called Patti LaBelle 'just a singer,' leading LaBelle to deliver a seven-word response that froze the studio
Sep 10, 2025
Jennifer Lopez feels free channeling emotions into music, but Ben Affleck is embarrassed and sees it as crossing a line, according to the source
Sep 9, 2025
Howard Stern added that he missed last week’s show due to illness, not contract talks, and addressed rumors of being fired from his own show
Sep 9, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement in August 2025 triggered a wave of pregnancy chatter after an ultrasound photo went viral
Sep 9, 2025
Ed Sheeran, 34, revealed that he was leaving Suffolk with his wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra and Jupiter
Sep 9, 2025
From Ice Spice’s chaotic corset to Paris Hilton’s flame dress, see the celebs who landed on the worst-dressed list at the 2025 VMAs
Sep 8, 2025