The Somber Sombr Controversy

By Mahika Khosla Dec. 10, 2025

Tiktok user @meganator__ created a video shaming singer Sombr for making indecent jokes directed toward a crowd full of young women during his concert at Washington D.C. on Oct. 13.  

Sombr, whose birth name is Shane Michael Boose, went viral on TikTok with his debut album “I Barely Know Her.” As a result of the album’s success, Sombr was invited to perform at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards and there, he won the Best Alternative Video award for “back to friends.” 

On Oct. 19, @meganator__ went online to share about her experience at Sombr’s concert at The Anthem in Washington D.C. which was a part of The Late Nights & Young Romance Tour. In the TikTok video amassing 6.5 million views, the 25-year-old content creator, Meg, called the concert one of the “worst experiences” of her life. She claimed that Sombr’s performance was “cringe” because the jokes that he made throughout the concert were focused on the younger generation such as “6-7”. Meg argued that while Sombr’s jokes were tailored toward his teenage audience—showing his awareness of the age of the crowd—he asked them to “bark for him,” referred to himself as “daddy” and made explicit comments about his genitalia.  

“I never preferred listening to Sombr, but now I am even more distasteful towards his music after this controversy. I feel like Sombr should have been more wholesome during his concert and also with the lyrics of his songs since he is aware of who his audience is,” Junior Chuxuan Zhang said. 

In response, Sombr posted a video on TikTok addressing Meg’s claims. In the video with over 10.6 million views, Sombr said that he respects “people having opinions” but that Meg should have done research before coming to his concert. He argued that Meg should not have expected to understand all jokes made in his concert, as he and his target audience are younger than Meg. He stated that Meg calling him “slenderman” creates a “massive body-shaming hate train.” In a “Part 2” video, Meg stated that she has never received more hate than she has for the original video she made speaking against Sombr’s concert.  

Sombr and Meg’s back-and-forth exchange on social media demonstrates the changing relationship between artists and their fanbase, as social media platforms are increasingly used to address controversy.

---

About the Contributors

Mahika Khosla

staff writer

Mahika Khosla is a senior at Leland High School and a Staff Writer for The Charger Account. Some of her favorite activities are watching Shark Tank, visiting National Parks, and rooting for the Warriors.