Sydney Sweeney has broken her silence on her controversial American Eagle ad campaign, saying it was "surreal" to hear President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance chime in on her controversial American Eagle ad campaign that sparked viral outrage, brand defense, and political chatter all summer long.
The "Euphoria" and "Anyone But You" star broke her silence in GQ's Men of the Year issue, reflecting on the ad's fallout.
"I did a jean ad," Sweeney said. "The reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life."
Released in July, the campaign — titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" — played on the words "jeans" and "genes," with Sweeney narrating, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring … My jeans are blue."
The tongue-in-cheek spot was meant to highlight her connection to the brand, but critics called it tone-deaf and objectifying, likening it to Brooke Shields' racy 1980 Calvin Klein ad.
American Eagle pushed back, saying the ad's message was misunderstood.
" 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story," the company said in a statement. "We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence."
The controversy took another turn when Trump publicly praised the ad in August, after learning that Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida. "She's a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad," he said, adding, "You'd be surprised how many people are Republicans."
Asked by GQ about remarks by Trump and Vance about the campaign, Sweeney replied, "It was surreal."
Despite her registration, she's never endorsed a political candidate or expressed public political views.
Vance also jumped into the debate, using the uproar to jab at Democrats.
"My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi," Vance said during a podcast interview. "That appears to be their actual strategy.
"You have a normal all-American beautiful girl doing a normal jeans ad … and they've managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. Did you learn nothing from the 2024 election?"
Sweeney also addressed reports that American Eagle's stock jumped 38% amid the media storm.
"I was aware of the numbers as it was going," she told GQ.
"When I saw all the headlines of in-store visits being down, none of it was true," she said. "It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in their quiet period.
"At the end of the day, I knew what that ad was for — and it was great jeans. It didn't affect me one way or the other."
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