Los Angeles, California – Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney has spoken out about the controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans ad – and her seemingly blasé reaction.
Over the summer, the 28-year-old came under fire for starring in the campaign called “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
The ad swapped “jeans” and “genes” as Sweeney gushed over her “blue” ones – language that some interpreted as a eugenics dog whistle or even Nazi propaganda.
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” the Housemaid actor said in an interview with People published Friday.
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“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,” she added.
Sweeney said that she initially wanted to avoid responding to the drama, but explained, “I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it.”
The Anyone But You star first broke her silence on the controversy in November, but she wound up adding more fuel to the backlash with her responses to questions about the criticism.
“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans,” she told GQ.
“All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a t-shirt every day of my life.”
When specifically pressed about the concerns about promoting white supremacy, Sweeney said simply, “When I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
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The drama led to heightened scrutiny of Sweeney’s politics, with her registration as a Republican in Florida going public shortly after the ad dropped.
The controversy even got the attention of President Donald Trump, who hailed Sweeney for having the “the ‘hottest’ ad out there” – a reaction she described as “surreal.”
