Sydney Sweeney has finally addressed the backlash she received for her American Eagle jeans ad campaign, denying that the intention behind it was about anything more than her “love” of the brand.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Sweeney was asked about the online hate that the advertisement generated over its use of the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” While the statement itself seemed to be simple and innocent enough, some took the line to signify white genetic superiority and called it out as racist. Even though American Eagle continued to defend the campaign, making it clear that it “always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.” Sweeney’s response to the discourse was:
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”
Sweeney continued to expand on her previous comments made to GQ earlier in the year, adding:
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” Sweeney shared with the outlet. “In the past, my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
Sydney Sweeney Has Seen Several Movies Struggling at the Box Office
Whether it is directly connected to the backlash against her American Eagle campaign or not, Sydney Sweeney’s success with movies like Anyone but You and Immaculate very quickly gave way to several big box office bombs in 2025.
In the space of two weeks in August, Sweeney released back-to-back disasters with the crime drama Americana, which was a small indie movie that barely made a mark in cinemas, while Ron Howard’s survival thriller Eden, which also starred Ana de Armas and Jude Law, could only muster a worldwide haul of $2.5 million. While it seemed that things could not get worse for Sweeney…and then Christy happened.
In November, biographical boxing movie Christy should have turned things around for the actress, having stirred up some Oscar buzz during the run-up to the release. However, despite a wide release, the movie crashed with one of the worst opening weekends ever, and fought its way to a dismal $2.1 million box office, with only $137,595 coming from international releases.
Now Sweeney is hoping that her new erotic thriller, The Housemaid, will break her box office curse and lead into a better 2026. Costarring Amanda Seyfried, the movie has the following synopsis:
“Trying to escape her past, Millie accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous—a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems.”