A New York City priest who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to film her racy “Feather” music video in his church was stripped of his duties this week.
Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role” at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood on Monday, November 18, The Associated Press reported at the time.
The priest, 65, was also dismissed in connection with allegations that he’d transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to New York Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief of staff, Frank Carone. Adams, 64, was indicted earlier this year in a federal corruption investigation. Gigantiello and Carone have not been accused of or charged with wrongdoing by law enforcement.
“I am saddened to share that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have uncovered evidence of serious violations of Diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish,” Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement released to the AP by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
“In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the Parish,” Brennan stated.
Carpenter, 25, filmed her “Feather” video at Gigantiello’s church, where she croons the frothy breakup song at the altar while sporting a flirty, black minidress, black lace veil, black platform heels and a gold cross necklace — an homage to Madonna, who generated controversy in the Catholic church decades ago for her cheeky religious imagery.
The video stirred instant controversy and “appalled” Brennan, who stated last year that the “parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script” and was “taking this matter seriously and will be looking into it further.”
Carpenter debuted the clip in October 2023, a few months after “Feather” hit No. 1 on the pop charts. It appeared as a bonus single on the deluxe edition of Carpenter’s 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send. Earlier this year, she issued her sixth studio album — Short n’ Sweet — and achieved her most successful year to date, spawning more hits including “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”
Now that Gigantiello is demoted, his replacement, Mroziewski, will have “complete authority over the parish.” However, Gigantiello will be able to say Mass — he just needs Mroziewski’s permission, diocese spokesperson Adriana Rodriguez told the AP.
As for Carpenter, she debuted the official trailer for her upcoming Netflix holiday special, A Nonsense Christmas, at the final U.S. show of her tour in Los Angeles on Monday.
“Christmas is coming early this year,” she teased of the special, which premieres on Friday, December 6. “I wouldn’t count on a silent night.”
Later, after debuting a hot pink, Madonna-inspired evening gown in a dance number straight out of the “Material Girl” video, Carpenter deadpans, “Welcome to A Nonsense Christmas. Hope you like surprises.”
