Sydney Sweeney has finally addressed the moment her American Eagle jeans ad became a talking point for President Donald Trump and I can’t believe that this is a sentence that I can write in 2025. Someone please explain this cursed timeline to me.
Speaking to GQ for her latest cover story, the Euphoria actor finally reflected on the controversy surrounding her now-notorious campaign, which ignited a full-blown culture war earlier this year.
“I did a jean ad,” Sweeney told GQ. “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.”
The campaign — built around the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” — attempted a cheeky pun between “jeans” and “genes”, but social media users were quick to pose questions and concerns over the ad.
Some accused the brand of glorifying Sweeney’s whiteness and slim figure, while others went so far as to compare the ad to Nazi propaganda.
Soon enough, politics entered the chat. The White House’s communications manager Steven Cheung dismissed the backlash as “cancel culture run amok”, and Vice President JD Vance added fuel to the fire, telling critics: “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi.”
Then came President Trump, who was asked about reports that Sweeney is 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,” he declared.
For Sweeney, the whole thing was apparently just a bizarre blur. “It was surreal,” she said when asked about the political circus that followed her ad.
The actress quickly moved things along: “I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day. I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set. So I didn’t really see a lot of it”.
While the internet debated denim, American Eagle quietly benefitted. The company’s stock price reportedly jumped more than 30 per cent amid the controversy, per Variety.
“I was aware of the numbers as it was going,” she told GQ. “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 their quiet period.”
Throughout the ordeal, Sweeney resisted calls to release a statement. “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think,” she said. “I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person.
“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.”
Lead image: GQ / Getty
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