Sydney Sweeney makes headlines for her outstanding onscreen performances, sure, but she has also been in the spotlight for some of her really controversial moves. These controversies range from the contentious themes of her parties to some of her ad campaigns.
Even her private life, including her reported involvement in “casual dating” with some highly problematic celebrities and selling soap infused with her bathwater (yes, literally), has landed her in trouble.
As the year comes to a close, we might as well take a look back and unpack all the latest controversies that have been following Sweeney around lately. Dig in.
4. Sydney Sweeney is Reportedly “Casually Dating” Scooter Braun
Credits: @scooterbraun / IG.
Credits: @scooterbraun / IG.
While, of course, her love life is her love life alone, reports of Sydney Sweeney dating Scooter Braun didn’t receive the most heartfelt of wishes from netizens worldwide. In fact, this one even earned her tremendous public hate and trolling, because Braun, unfortunately, is a pretty much infamous and problematic personality himself.
For those unversed, the two are said to have met at billionaire Jeff Bezos’ wedding to Lauren Sanchez earlier this year, in June. That was reportedly the start of their union, as the two were spotted together frequently after that, with a source eventually confirming to TMZ that they were “casually dating.”
But Braun is a controversial figure because the record executive has an infamous history with numerous musical artists, including Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. This is because he reportedly acquired Swift’s masters without her consent, and has also been accused of unfairly managing young musical artists.
He reportedly had numerous artists abandoning him over the years as well, including Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Idina Menzel, before he announced his retirement from the music industry in 2020.
Furthermore, he is also a pretty vocal supporter of Israel (check out his Instagram handle), which has further landed him in hot water (and Sweeney too, for reportedly dating him).
This is because many film workers, actors, and directors from Hollywood have signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions due to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has led to the death of millions of innocent Palestinians.
3. Sydney Sweeney’s MAGA-Themed Birthday Party
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney)
This one goes back to 2022, though not to Sydney Sweeney’s own birthday party. Rather, it was her mother’s 60th birthday bash that she threw for her, which drew raised eyebrows from people worldwide. The reason behind the party stirring backlash for the actress was due to the alleged theme of the same: MAGA (via her Instagram).
Per the reports, the people at the party were condemned for wearing Blue Lives Matter garb and MAGA-style red caps that read “Make Sixty Great Again.” They matched the United States President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign merch, which was notably all about “Make America Great Again,” leaning Sweeney further into controversies.
However, the Anyone but You actress shut those down quickly and defended the party, tweeting that it was an “innocent celebration” which unintentionally ended up turning into “an absurd political statement” (via Vanity Fair). Plus, talking to Variety, she further cleared it up, saying that “There were so many misinterpretations. The people in the pictures weren’t even my family.”
2. Sydney Sweeney Has “Great Jeans” American Eagle Campaign
View this post on Instagram A post shared by American Eagle (@americaneagle)
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Sydney Sweeney was unarguably her American Eagle campaign for having “great jeans.” For those unversed, in July 2025, the actress starred in the fall denim campaign of the brand as its newest face, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” which cleverly plays with the homophones ‘jeans’ and ‘genes.’
Although this worked wonders, leading to a 20% boost in the company’s stock (per Forbes), it also didn’t take long for this campaign to spark serious criticism. Critics argued that this ad allegedly used racially coded language, with the pun on ‘great genes’ accused of referencing Sweeney’s ancestry and suggesting eugenics-related undertones.
Plus, for the Immaculate actress, this allegation wasn’t entirely unfounded, given she has physical features that have historically been considered superior to other genetic traits (i.e., her blonde hair and blue eyes).
And since American politics already appears to be at a tipping point with the right- and left-wing factions becoming increasingly divisive, the ad was accused of spreading far-right propaganda and influencing cultural discourse.
However, the company denied these allegations, arguing via their official Instagram handle,
‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.
Adding to this, even Sweeney herself stood by the campaign despite all the controversies, saying in a press release that the brand makes her feel “confident and comfortable in [her] own skin” (according to RadarOnline.com).
1. “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss” and Dr. Squatch (Need We Say More?!)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Squatch (@drsquatch)
Last but not least was arguably Sydney Sweeney’s collaboration with Dr. Squatch to sell soaps that contained her bathwater. These soaps were called “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss.” And even though the product sold out in record time, that move was still as questionable and weird as one might expect, since those soaps were quite literally infused with her bathwater.
Talking about the same with GQ, Sweeney candidly said,
I honestly think it’s a really fun, full-circle moment, because fans always joke about wanting my bath water… I was like, This is just such a cool way to have a conversation with the audience and give them what they want. But then also hopefully encourage them to take care of themselves in a healthy way.
But things didn’t exactly go as she had planned, as she was soon under fire for allegedly objectifying herself to gain the favor of her male fans when the product was being marketed towards her male fanbase. She, however, addressed this controversy as well, telling the Wall Street Journal,
It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting. They all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater.
For those who might not know, that comment of hers was in reference to a scene in Saltburn (2023) where Barry Keoghan’s character slurped down Jacob Elordi’s character’s bathwater, which was then sold as a scented candle.
But the difference here is that Elordi neither participated in the creation nor the marketing or sale of the candle. Sweeney, on the other hand, was actively involved in the making and marketing of her bathwater-infused soap bars, which were seen by some as her allegedly deliberately objectifying herself, setting a harmful precedent for young women.
That sums up the list of controversies surrounding Sydney Sweeney. What do you think about it all? Got something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
