Sydney Sweeney Insists She’s ‘Against Hate’ Following Ame…

Sydney Sweeney has once again explained that she regrets not approaching American Eagle’s controversial ‘great jeans’ campaign differently.

The Housemaid star was named the face of the campaign in the summer, but the clothing brand immediately caught backlash and was accused of pushing eugenics, stemming from the ‘great jeans’ slogan and Sweeney being a white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

American Eagle defended its brand as well as having Sweeney as the face of the campaign by insisting that it wanted to represent the actor’s “story.”

Following the online chatter, which included input from numerous TikTok creators and Doja Cat, the Euphoria star spoke on the campaign several times, last denying that she saw much of the backlash. But in a new statement to People, Sweeney revealed that she did see the reaction, which she was “honestly surprised” by.

“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 said.

The actor added that she “leads with kindness” and wanted to dismiss the speculation being attached to her. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” she explained.

“In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press 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.”

In her GQ Men of the Year interview with the publication’s features director Katherine Stoeffel, Sweeney seemed more or less unaware of negative reactions towards the campaign.

Although she called it “surreal” to see President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance speak out in defense of her, Sweeney also teased that she’d provide a longer statement on the American Eagle debate.

“I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,” Sweeney said.