Sydney Sweeney isn’t letting the backlash from her American Eagle ad get her down.
“Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “She’s focusing her energy on work, including being back on set with her Euphoria family.” (Production on the long-awaited third season of the HBO show, in which Sweeney plays popular high schooler Cassie Howard, began earlier this year.)
Us Weekly has reached out to Sweeney’s rep for comment.
The actress, 27, came under fire after modeling a denim jacket and pants by American Eagle in a July 23 campaign featuring the double entendre tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
Almost immediately after its debut, the ad sparked a debate about race and beauty standards due to its play on the word “genes,” which some critics saw as a nod to eugenics, a widely discredited theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding.
Sweeney has not publicly responded to the controversy, but American Eagle defended its ad in a statement on Friday, August 1.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the clothing retailer said in an Instagram post. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Several celebrities and public figures have also taken to social media to weigh in on the campaign, including President Donald Trump.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there,” Trump, 79, wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday, August 4, referencing the White Lotus alum’s publicly available voter registration records that went viral in the wake of the scandal.
“It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves,’” he continued. “Go get ’em Sydney!”
This is not the first time Trump has come up in the same conversation as Sweeney. In 2022, the Emmy nominee threw a 60th birthday party for her mom where guests wore red hats referencing the president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, sparking backlash online.
“You guys this is wild,” Sweeney wrote on X at the time. “An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone and Happy Birthday Mom!”
Later that year, the Anyone But You star told British GQ that she was exasperated by the public’s response to the party.
“Honestly, I feel like nothing I say can help the conversation,” she said. “It’s been turning into a wildfire, and nothing I can say will take it back to the correct track.”
Sweeney added, “I’ll see people say, ‘She needs to get media training.’ Why, do you want to see a robot?”
Read the full article here
