Colman Domingo wows in drag and lingerie in Sabrina Carpenter’s outrageously camp ‘Tears’ music video
The Euphoria actor shines in the Bardia Zeinali-directed visual, wearing Dr Frank-N-Furter-inspired looks from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
By Callum Wells
Colman Domingo steals the spotlight in drag in Sabrina Carpenter’s outrageously camp ‘Tears’ music video.
The Euphoria actor shines in the Bardia Zeinali-directed visual, wearing Dr Frank-N-Furter-inspired looks, from a cropped suit with a red belt, lipstick, and finger-wave wig to a black leather corset with a towering burnt-orange beehive and a cherry lingerie set.
Carpenter, meanwhile, leans fully into her camp pop persona, trading a baby blue skirt suit co-ord for just lingerie à la Susan Sarandon in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
‘Tears’ appears on her freshly released seventh album, Man’s Best Friend, which dropped today (29 August). The record follows the viral success of ‘Manchild’, hailed as the “song of the summer”, where Carpenter cheekily skewered men who can’t meet the basics.
“About to break the internet” – Domingo teasing his ‘Tears’ appearance
In Tears, Carpenter keeps the satirical tone but ups the spectacle. Over tongue-in-cheek lyrics – “I get wet at the thought of you / Being a responsible guy / Treating me like you’re supposed to do / Tears run down my thighs” – she once again gets rid of an inadequate man, this time stabbing him with her stiletto.
“It’s a thing, someone has to die in every video,” she says with a grin.
Domingo teased his appearance beforehand, posting: “About to break the internet. Tears. Protect all the Dolls.” The final product sees Carpenter stumble into the woods after a car crash and encounter Domingo in glamorous drag. The pair strut through a mysterious house, dance together under glitter, and Carpenter eventually pole-dances in a cornfield before returning outside to finish off her unfortunate suitor.
Carpenter’s reign continues
Carpenter told fans the video stars the “truly incomparable, magnetic, and fantastic Colman Domingo”. He was equally playful after its release: “Didn’t see that coming did ya?”
For Domingo, the project comes in the middle of an extraordinary run. He earned his first Oscar nomination in 2024 for Rustin, where he portrayed queer civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. His nod made him only the second gay man, after Ian McKellen in Gods and Monsters (1998), to be recognised for playing a gay character.
He was nominated again earlier this year for Sing Sing, a prison drama he helped shape.
Meanwhile, Carpenter’s reign as pop’s sharpest new superstar continues. Man’s Best Friend was awarded four stars by The Guardian and branded a “comedic pop delight” by Variety.