Sydney Sweeney is finally speaking out on the American Eagle jeans campaign that led to backlash earlier this year, and even acknowledged the US President Donald Trump's reaction to suddenly cheering her on for being a registered Republican.
Here's how the story went.
What Did Sydney Sweeney Say About the American Eagle Jeans Backlash?
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Recently speaking to GQ Magazine for a new cover story, the Euphoria Emmy nominee explained she was never tempted to address the issue through formal statements or to defend the controversial ads during their height because "I've always believed that I'm not here to tell people what to think."
"I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I'm a kind person," she added, "I know that I love a lot, and I know that I'm just excited to see what happens next. And so I don't really let other people define who I am."
She had previously spoken directly about the campaign and how it was received online, where she said: "I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life... I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn't affect me one way or the other."
Sweeney's American Eagle campaign tagline, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a pun on "great genes," sparked online outrage over the company allegedly glorifying the actor's white heritage and physique. Some users even compared the ads to "Nazi propaganda."
How Did Sydney Sweeney React to President Trump's Praise?
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As the national controversy ensued, Donald Trump's White House weighed in and mocked liberals for 'creating hysteria' around the campaign: "My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy."
Trump had chosen to respond after learning that Sweeney was a registered Republican, "She's a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad! You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans... If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!"
Sweeney told GQ Magazine that "it was surreal" to have Trump and Vice President JD Vance weighing in on the ads, but chose not to pay attention to the controversy's entirety by "putting my phone away" while she was filming for Euphoria, "So I didn't really see a lot of it."
"I was aware of the numbers as it was going," Sweeney said upon hearing that American Eagle's stock rose to 38% amid the controversy, "So, when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true. It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in its quiet period. So it was all just a lot of talk."
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