Celebs Who Want Nothing To Do With Sydney Sweeney

For Sydney Sweeney, 2025 was a rollercoaster. The year marked the peak of her career, with her booking roles left and right, but it was also mired in controversy that proved hard to escape — she even incurred the disapproval of some of her Hollywood peers. It all started in July, when the "Euphoria" actor starred in an American Eagle jeans ad that came under fire for its perceived eugenicist undertones. That was bad enough in itself, but then the media caught wind that Sweeney had registered as a Republican ahead of the 2024 presidential election that put Donald Trump back in the White House.

Trump quickly jumped to celebrate Sweeney and her good genes, making the links between the ad and his controversial takes on race impossible to ignore. But the cherry on the cake came in November, when she smirked her way through questions about the white supremacy claims attached to her. "I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans," Sweeney told GQ, adding that learning about the president's reaction to it "was surreal."

It wasn't the first time Sweeney had faced political backlash. In 2022, Sweeney had to address attending a seemingly MAGA-themed birthday party for her mother, a detail that fans hadn't forgotten. It was the perfect storm. Since the American Eagle ad was released, three films Sweeney starred in flopped at the box office back to back — "Americana," "Eden," and "Christy." It's impossible to say if the controversy was the reason, but Sweeney has definitely gained a fair share of detractors in Hollywood because of it.

After the Sydney Sweeney political controversy, her fellow "Euphoria" star, Zendaya, took a stance. The two reportedly feuded behind the scenes, causing issues ahead of the HBO series' Season 3 premiere in the spring of 2026. Zendaya reportedly refused to participate in press calls with her co-star or to be seen alongside her at events. "It's a difficult position for Zendaya to be in because if she even stands next to Sydney on the red carpet, it can be read as her excusing Sydney's views on [Donald] Trump and her refusal to apologize for the racist ad," a source told the Daily Mail in November 2025.

Zendaya has been vocal about her political opposition to the Trump administration, particularly to the policies that most heavily affect the Black community. In 2017, she responded to then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' statement that the president's offensive remarks in support of police brutality were just a joke. "It's not funny," she tweeted. When Trump won that election, Zendaya didn't keep her thoughts to herself.

"......speechless...petrified...heartbroken...weary. I don't know what to say or what to do. I guess I just never knew how many people in this country didn't love other people in this country," she captioned an Instagram post. Given her preoccupation with politics, it's easy to see how Sweeney's stance and nonchalance have affected her. "Zendaya has been very outspoken about civil rights and advocating for the black community. I definitely don't see her getting on well with Sydney on a personal level," one Reddit user noted.

"Christy," the September 2025 film about former female boxer Christy Martin, was a box office failure despite high expectations to the contrary. It was a complete disaster, and Ruby Rose has no doubts in her mind about whose fault it is: Sydney Sweeney. "You're a cretin and you ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better," she wrote on Threads. The "Orange Is the New Black" actor's harsh words concluded a lengthy message in which she hinted that Sweeney's political stance was behind the film's poor performance.

Rose highlighted that the final product was vastly different from the original, a project she said she had initially been pegged to star in. "The original Christy Martin script was incredible. Life changing," she wrote. She argued that the original cast was knowledgeable about Martin, who is a lesbian. "Most of us were actually gay," she contended. Rose then implied that the LGBTQ+ community boycotted the film because of Sweeney's political views. "For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying SS did it for the 'people'. None of 'the people' want to see someone who hates them," she continued.

Whether Sweeney's controversies played a part in the film's performance is unclear, but Martin stood by the actor. "Syd not only worked her a** off for this film, she worked her a** off for me. For my story. For so many others suffering in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and ally!" she wrote in an Instagram post. 

Aimee Lou Wood, who, like Sydney Sweeney, starred in "The White Lotus," albeit in a separate season, was unimpressed by Sweeney's response to the white supremacy accusations. The British actor showed that when she liked and commented a vomit emoji under a clip of her GQ interview shared on Instagram by photographer and social activist Misan Harriman, according to Page Six. Her reaction became even more poignant given Harriman's strong caption.

"Presuming that you are not a white supremacist, at least say how horrified you were by how this campaign was amplified and celebrated by unrepentant racists who believe in eugenics," he wrote. That wasn't the only time she engaged with social media posts that criticized Sweeney's interview. A few days later, Wood also liked an Instagram video by Jupiter Baal in which he accused Sweeney of being complicit, BuzzFeed reported. "#sidneysweeney isn't innocent. She is a willing participant on the in joke of #eugenics at a time in which the #farright is thriving on that propaganda," he wrote in the caption.

Other celebrities who also liked Baal's included SZA and Christina Ricci, with the latter making her stance even clearer by writing "100%" in the comments. It's not surprising that Wood felt comfortable sharing her views on the matter. The "Sex Education" star stood her ground on her pro-Palestine activism even when the police became worried for her safety. "When something's f***ing like, real and true, the fear just goes," she told The Cut in July 2025.

After Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign came out in July 2025, Doja Cat took to TikTok to mock the actor by reenacting what she says in the ad using an overly exaggerated accent. "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue," she said into the camera. The video quickly went viral, racking up millions of likes.

Some social media users praised Doja Cat for taking a stance. "Doja on the right side of history as usual," one commenter gushed. Others were just amused by the comic situation. "Never thought i'd see the day where doja cat makes fun of sydney sweeney but here we are," another user noted. However, many netizens pointed out that Doja herself has been accused of making racist comments online. In 2020, Doja defended herself, noting she had made mistakes when she was too young to understand much of the world.

"I've used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child," she said (via CNN). "I shouldn't have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I'm sorry to everyone I offended." She also caught flak for including a term used to mock victims of police brutality in her 2015 song, "Dindu Nuffin." Netizens didn't forget these controversies amid her Sweeney video. "She's a f***ing hypocrite but listen, I am HOWLING at the impression," one Reddit user wrote. 

Dan Stevens wasn't afraid to weigh in on the Sydney Sweeney controversy, arguing that her refusal to address the white supremacy accusations spoke volumes. In November 2025, the "Downton Abbey" star took to his Instagram Stories to share a Threads comment about her response, suggesting he agreed with the take. "Sydney Sweeney's GQ interview is a reminder that 'not having a stance' on white supremacy is 100 percent having a stance on white supremacy," the message read (via Reddit).

Some social media users argued that Stevens' post was significant because he was among the few actors to actually come out and criticize Sweeney for dodging the racism claims. "I think this is notable because even though some celebs have called her out indirectly via comments (Aimee Lou Wood, then Christina Ricci commented on another post calling her out with Aimee and SZA also liking it) this is the first instance of another actor reposting something that called her out directly," one user noted.

This isn't the first time the British actor has demonstrated his willingness to speak out on controversial matters. In a March 2025 interview in which he discussed the Netflix political thriller featuring Robert DeNiro, "Zero Day," he didn't mince his words to describe how he feels about the current scenario. "You don't have to scratch the surface very hard to see that the free press is almost dead, democracy is almost dead," he told The Hollywood Reporter.