“I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it,” the “Euphoria” star said.

Sydney Sweeney finally opens up about backlash over controversial American Eagle campaign: ‘I’m against hate’

"I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it," the "Euphoria" star said.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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December 6, 2025 11:21 a.m. ET

Sydney Sweeney in New York City on Dec. 2, 2025. Credit:

Manoli Figetakis/WireImage

- Sydney Sweeney said that she is "against hate" after months of controversy surrounding her "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" American Eagle campaign.

- The *Euphoria* star said, "I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign."

- Sweeney previously rejected opportunities to respond to criticism of the campaign.

Sydney Sweeney is finally getting candid about the backlash to her 2025 American Eagle campaign.

The *Euphoria* actress sparked widespread controversy after headlining denim ads with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a phrase that some claimed was promoting white genetic superiority due to its invocation of the phrase "good genes" in connection with a white woman.

Now, after months of speculation that Sweeney is politically conservative or racist, the *Anyone but You* actress is clarifying her values.

"I was honestly surprised by the reaction," Sweeney told PEOPLE in a new interview. "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, who was a registered Republican as of June 2024, also said she "leads with kindness" in her personal life and suggested that she no longer wishes to be affiliated with hate. "Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together," she said. "I'm against hate and divisiveness."

"In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press," she continued, "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 in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2025.

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

This was not the first opportunity Sweeney had to address the controversy. *GQ *asked the actress to speak on the subject in November, and she simply responded by saying she was surprised by the backlash without wading into any ideological territory.

"I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans," she told the outlet. "All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life."

She also rejected the opportunity to apologize for the ad or clarify her views in the same interview. "I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear," she said.

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Sweeney also refused to comment on the campaign in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. "I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it," Sweeney told *Vanity Fair* at the time. "I'm not there to talk about jeans."

Shortly after the campaign launched in July, American Eagle released a statement defending the advertisements on social media. "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans, her story," the company said. "We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."

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After the campaign dropped, numerous conservative political figures voiced their support for Sweeney and mocked liberals who criticized the advertisements, including Vice President JD Vance, White House communications director Steven Cheung, Megyn Kelly, and even President Trump himself.

In the time between Sweeney's previous vague statements and her recent comments to PEOPLE, her boxing biopic, *Christy,* drew disastrous numbers at the box office. The film grossed just $1.3 million despite having been released on more than 2,100 screens nationwide, making it the 12th-worst opening weekend for a wide release on more than 2,000 screens. The following weekend, the movie earned just $108,487, marking a 91.7 percent drop from its first weekend — the worst drop of its kind in recorded history.

Sweeney will next star opposite Amanda Seyfried in *The Housemaid,* which hits theaters on Dec. 19. She'll also reprise her role as Cassie on *Euphoria* season 3, which is scheduled to premiere on HBO in April 2026.

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