Colman Domingo has fired back at online critics who took issue with his drag role in Sabrina Carpenter's Tears music video.

The Bardia Zeinali–directed clip, inspired by The Rocky Horror Picture Show, features Carpenter wandering into a surreal mansion after a car accident, where she encounters Domingo dressed in full Dr. Frank-N-Furter style drag. The 55-year-old Euphoria star appears in bright red lingerie, a tall wig, and dramatic makeup.

While many fans applauded the video’s camp style and queer energy, one user on X criticized Domingo’s appearance, calling it “bull****” and questioning why a “manly” gay actor would take on a drag role. Domingo was quick to reply, writing, “It’s a character. Like all the characters I play. Calm down, brother. Enjoy the video and the fun that it possesses. Dance it out! It ain’t that deep.”

He also quoted drag legend RuPaul, saying, “We are born naked and everything else is drag. Suits, t-shirts, dresses. All drag.”

Carpenter described filming the visual for the track, which appears on her latest album Man’s Best Friend, as “a wild fantasy dream come true.”

Domingo’s turn in Tears comes during a significant moment in his career, with back-to-back Academy Award nominations for Rustin and Sing Sing.

Carpenter’s album rollout has also sparked controversy, leading her to caution potential “pearl-clutchers” against listening if they were easily offended.

The cover artwork, which depicts her on all fours with her hair being pulled by a man, drew criticism from Glasgow Women’s Aid. The organization argued she was reinforcing harmful stereotypes that depict women as “pets” and objects while normalizing control and violence.

They stated, “Oh Sabrina! Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover isn’t edgy, it’s regressive. Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it ‘Man’s Best Friend’ isn’t subversion. It’s a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control.”

Carpenter later shared an alternate cover showing her holding onto a man, joking that it was “approved by God,” while also addressing the backlash.

In an interview with CBS Mornings host Gayle King, she said, “Y’all need to get out more, I think. Between me and my friends and my family and the people that I always share my music and my art with first, it just wasn’t even a conversation… It was just, like, it’s perfect for what the album is, and what it represents.”