Sydney Sweeney may be a pro at getting the public rattled with her actions.
The actress caused quite a stir last year when she partnered with American Eagle for a jean ad that sparked racism and white supremacy theories.
Months after the controversial ad, Sydney Sweeney returned for another campaign with the clothing brand. However, her comeback has been marred by another scandal, a shocking scene from “Euphoria” season 3.
Sydney Sweeney Pokes Fun At American Eagle Backlash In New Ad
Sweeney flaunted her famous curves for the “Syd for Short: American Eagle Jean Shorts” ad, which launched on Wednesday, April 15. She rocked a pair of denim shorts with a white shirt in the campaign, later changing into a white tee and a pair of denim shorts with frayed ends.
The ad, per US Weekly, captured Sweeney in a denim crop top and shorts, posing in front of a blue sky backdrop. “What brand am I wearing?” she asked while twirling her hair as the screen flashed with more shots of her rocking the denim shorts with different outfits.
“Yeah, that one. American Eagle jean shorts,” Sweeney continued while giggling, poking fun at the last controversial ad for the brand. Although the denim shorts campaign should have been Sweeney’s way of recovering for the “great jeans” drama of the first ad, many were more concerned about her “Euphoria” season 3 scenes.
The Actress Sparks Backlash For OnlyFans Plot In The Teen Drama Series
A trailer for the third season of HBO’s teen drama series opened up with Sweeney’s character, Cassie, trying to make it big as an OnlyFans content creator. The video shared on YouTube captured her in multiple provocative outfits, including a scene of her dressed like a baby.
Sweeney donned a baby costume with her hair styled in pigtails and her legs spread wide open while sucking on a pacifier. The moment quickly went viral on social media platforms such as X, with fans appalled by the scene and slamming Sweeney for depicting it.
Popular political commentator Megyn Kelly joined the cries against Sweeney and the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, on the April 14 episode of her podcast. Kelly was shocked that Sweeney agreed to it, citing claims of the actress previously telling Levinson to “Stop doing this! It’s very gratuitous” when it came to her nude scenes.
The Blonde Bombshell Was Slammed For ‘Sexualizing Infancy’
Kelly bashed both Sweeney and Levinson, arguing that there was nothing funny about “sexualizing infancy.” She claimed there was a problem with anyone who had no issues with Sweeney’s baby costume, referencing articles that describe the scene as “a pretty common kink.”
Kelly could not understand how anyone could get “turned on by a baby” and slammed Levinson as “sick” for promoting such content through Sweeney. Additionally, she wondered why the actress agreed to portray herself in such an unacceptable manner, given her past rejections.
Kelly’s words referenced a 2022 interview with The Independent, where Sweeney revealed that she shut down scenes she didn’t believe required nudity. She also confirmed that Levinson had never forced her to shoot any scenes, saying, “When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”
The Show’s Creator Defended The Provocative Scenes
Similar to her 2022 interview, Sweeney implied to Entertainment Tonight that her character’s behavior in season 3 had received her approval. “I mean, Cassie’s a crazy character,” she said of the OnlyFans plot, noting her character made “very wild and interesting choices” for fame.
The show’s creator, Levinson, echoed similar sentiments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He noted that Sweeney’s new role as an explicit content creator aligned with their goal to showcase a “layer of absurdity” in her character’s life so the audience wouldn’t get lost in “her fantasy or illusion.”
“The gag is to jump out, to break the wall,” Levinson added, stressing that the goal was to show how depressing Sweeney’s life was despite her attempts to paint it otherwise. Besides the controversial scenes, Sweeney also made waves for having beef with one of her castmates.
Sydney Sweeney Allegedly On Bad Terms With Zendaya Over ‘Flirty’ Behavior
The Blast recently covered all the “Euphoria” drama, including the speculated bad blood between Sweeney and Zendaya. Fans began noticing tensions between the pair after Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jean ad, which further escalated with zero interactions during the show’s promotions.
Many couldn’t help but notice that Zendaya appeared to avoid Sweeney on the red carpet during the season 3 premiere, sparking more speculations of a rift. Sources alleged the beef between the duo stemmed from Sweeney’s behavior around Zendaya’s beau, Tom Holland.
One source claimed it was an open secret that Sweeney was interested in Holland, and would allegedly get “flirty” whenever he came to set. Her actions did not sit right with Zendaya, whom sources noted immediately drew the line with Sweeney, and they stopped hanging out.
Can Sydney Sweeney escape being a controversy magnet?