The 2025 Brit Awards sparked 825 complaints to Ofcom, primarily over Sabrina Carpenter’s pre-watershed performance and Charli XCX’s outfit.
Carpenter opened the show at The O2 in London with a medley of her hits, including ‘Espresso’ and ‘Rule Britannia!’, while wearing a red military-style mini-dress with stockings and suspenders. Her performance, aired live on ITV before the 9 PM watershed, included a close interaction with a dancer dressed as a soldier, which contributed to the complaints.
Charli XCX, who won five awards, also caused a stir with her sheer black dress. She addressed the controversy in her acceptance speech, joking about ITV’s concerns over her nipples, saying, “I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple.’” Ofcom is reviewing the complaints but has not yet decided whether to investigate.
Charli XCX accepts the artist of the year award during the Brit Awards 2025 in London (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
The Brit Awards ran from 8:15 PM to 10:40 PM, just before and after the 9 PM watershed, when content deemed unsuitable for children is allowed to air. Charli XCX won several awards, including album of the year for Brat, while Carpenter received the revived Global Success Award, recognizing her international achievements.
This isn’t the first time the Brit Awards have drawn complaints. In 2020, 309 people complained about Dave’s performance, but Ofcom dismissed it. Similarly, complaints were made in 2018 about Kendrick Lamar’s performance and in 2015 about Kanye West’s language, though all were rejected as consistent with audience expectations.
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HeadlineThe Brit Awards sparks 825 complaints to Ofcom about the music star attendees
Short HeadlineBrit Awards sparks 825 complaints to Ofcom
StandfirstOfcom deals with large amounts of complaints from upset viewers over the costumes and perfomances of attendees
The 2025 Brit Awards sparked 825 complaints to Ofcom, primarily over Sabrina Carpenter’s pre-watershed performance and Charli XCX’s outfit.
Carpenter opened the show at The O2 in London with a medley of her hits, including ‘Espresso’ and ‘Rule Britannia!’, while wearing a red military-style mini-dress with stockings and suspenders. Her performance, aired live on ITV before the 9 PM watershed, included a close interaction with a dancer dressed as a soldier, which contributed to the complaints.
Charli XCX, who won five awards, also caused a stir with her sheer black dress. She addressed the controversy in her acceptance speech, joking about ITV’s concerns over her nipples, saying, “I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple.’” Ofcom is reviewing the complaints but has not yet decided whether to investigate.
Charli XCX accepts the artist of the year award during the Brit Awards 2025 in London (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
The Brit Awards ran from 8:15 PM to 10:40 PM, just before and after the 9 PM watershed, when content deemed unsuitable for children is allowed to air. Charli XCX won several awards, including album of the year for Brat, while Carpenter received the revived Global Success Award, recognizing her international achievements.
This isn’t the first time the Brit Awards have drawn complaints. In 2020, 309 people complained about Dave’s performance, but Ofcom dismissed it. Similarly, complaints were made in 2018 about Kendrick Lamar’s performance and in 2015 about Kanye West’s language, though all were rejected as consistent with audience expectations.
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