Word on the street is that Sabrina Carpenter and Stranger Things actor Joe Keery have followed each other on Instagram after a rumor-sparking exchange at the 2025 Austin City Limits Festival. During her “cuffing season” skit in her set, Carpenter proceeded to “arrest” Keery, an exchange that left the public in a tizzy. In videos of the two, Keery is seen holding his hands up together gleefully, waiting for Carpenter to continue with the skit. The chemistry, which fans claim is palpable, was undeniable.
Now, edits of the two are popping up like wildfire all over TikTok, making one thing clear: Whether this is a PR stunt for the new season of Stranger Things coming out, or good publicity for Keery’s music (he goes by the alias Djo), fans are already eager for the romance rumor speculation to become true. Is this another Nicolandria manifestation waiting to happen?
The Beauty of PR Stunts
The videos and recent edits reveal what happens when a PR stunt works successfully. Celebrities have been using PR stunts since the dawn of time to benefit their public image, which many rely on for brand deals, sponsorships, work, and other partnerships.
In my eyes, there is no “good” or “bad” PR stunt. There are simply the ones that work versus the ones that don’t. The ones that work, like Carpenter’s and Keery’s, generate public opinion, voices, recreation, or maybe even outcry. Ones that don’t work simply cause no cosmic ripple; in other words, nobody notices them.
The beauty of a great PR stunt is a concoction of a few things: public discourse, creativity, relevance, memorability, and believability. Nobody wants to think they’re being fooled, or, in the case of Keery and Carpenter, with the staged “cuffing” skit, people want to believe in genuine chemistry (which we can all see Keery and Carpenter have). Other celebrities I’d like to highlight for their success in public relations are Lili Reinhart, Kris Jenner, and Sydney Sweeney.
The Love Hypothesis Marketing Stunt
Lili Reinhart’s success in promoting the movie adaptation of the novel The Love Hypothesis stems, in part, from her creativity on TikTok. Using popular trends on TikTok, Reinhart has successfully carried the marketing for the film on her back. She and her co-star, Tom Ellis, recreated popular couple trends, such as where one partner picks the other up with one arm while they’re both walking side by side.
The recreation was creative, relevant, and memorable (Ellis picking anyone up would be memorable). The video was very believable, and made fans go crazy (AKA public discourse)! I, for one, am going to be sitting in that movie theater with my slushie and popcorn after watching their marketing tactics.
Kris Jenner: Mom Manager Mastermind
Can we even talk about PR stunts if we don’t talk about Kris Jenner making the best of a bad situation? The mom and manager of the six Jenners and Kardashians, Kris Jenner, used the public discourse surrounding Kim Kardashian’s situation to elevate her girls into the spotlight.
Although relevant before, the family was catapulted into levels of infamy that were inaccessible to them before. Say what you want about Jenner’s mothering, but she knew how to manage her daughters and bring them into the spotlight!
Anyone But You PR Stunt
Finally, we have Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s rumor-fueling movie marketing scheme. During their press tour for Anyone But You, fans speculated that the two, who were both in relationships at that time, were secretly seeing each other. Videos circulated of Sweeney and Powell that were a bit friendlier than the average co-stars. One video in particular sparked major discourse: Powell, holding Sweeney in his lap, tilting her body to the floor, where both seemed very comfortable in each other’s arms.
You can understand from the video why speculation of the two together runs amok. Sweeney and her fiancé breaking up shortly after the press tour ended certainly didn’t help things. However, both have denied the romance rumors.
Powell, when interviewed, later revealed that the flirtation fans witnessed of the two on tour was all a fabrication to promote the film. It goes without saying that it definitely worked, with Sweeney and Powell utilizing all the necessary components of a great PR stunt.
Obviously, PR stunts can backfire. People’s careers can swiftly change direction based on the type of publicity they get. In some cases, however, bad publicity is good publicity! In many cases, any publicity at all is great! Even if Sabrina Carpenter and Joe Keery don’t end up together, I know in my heart that their chemistry could never have been staged.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest!