Sabrina Carpenter ‘Feather’ church shooter gets priest relieved of duties

The priest who authorized the filming of a controversial video clip by Sabrina Carpenter at his church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been removed from his position. According to the Associated pressMonsignor Jamie Gigantiello was removed from his position on Monday (Nov. 18) after church officials said an investigation revealed other evidence of mismanagement.

Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn that Gigantiello was removed from “any pastoral supervision or administrative role” after an investigation found that Gigantiello made improper financial transfers to a former top aide in New York’s embattled mayor. Eric Adams’ administration, which is being investigated on corruption charges.

The investigation was prompted by outrage over the bloody video for Carpenter’s “Feather,” shot at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, in which the singer facilitates the deaths of several obnoxious men who try to hit her. In the final scene, filmed in the church, Carpenter danced around the sacred space during the men’s funerals while wearing a short black dress and veil and posing with religious objects on the altar, including a casket with a sign that read: ” RIP B– ch.”

Gigantiello was relieved of his administrative duties last November following the video’s release, with Brennan saying at the time that the parish “did not follow diocesan policy regarding filming on church property, including a review of the scenes and script.”

After Gigantiello’s sanction, Carpenter said Variety that her team received “pre-approval,” and furthermore, “Jesus was a carpenter.” Her comments came after Gigantiello posted an apology on the Church’s Facebook page, saying he approved the filming of the video and found nothing negative about Carpenter online, greenlighting the shoot in an effort to “the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community.”

He also said he reviewed the video’s funeral scene plan and noted that the actual shooting of the final scene “was not what was initially presented to me.”

In his statement announcing Gigantiello’s sanction, Brennan said: “I am saddened to report that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have revealed evidence of serious violations of the policies and protocols of the diocese in the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation. To safeguard the public’s trust and protect the Church’s funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the parish.”

Although Mroziewski will now “have full authority over the parish,” Gigantiello will still be allowed to celebrate Mass with Mroziewski’s approval. In addition, Brennan dismissed Gigantiello from his fundraising duties as deputy of development for the diocese as a broader investigation uncovered other instances of administrative impropriety, including an ongoing investigation into Gigantiello’s use of a church credit card for “substantial” personal expenses.

During a show at Madison Square Garden in September, Carpenter appeared to make light of the “Feather” controversy, just days after Adams became the first New York mayor to be indicted while in office. “Damn, what now?” she asked the crowd. “Should we talk about how I sued the mayor?”