Sydney Sweeney, 29, once again became a topic of debate after her new sports betting ad stirred up a storm last week.
On September 9, 2026, sports prediction platform Novig released their latest commercial featuring The Handmaid’s Tale actress, who appears barely clothed in multiple shots.
The video angered several female athletes, who argued that the ad has “put women’s sports backward” through objectification.
Highlights
- Sydney Sweeney recently featured in an ad for sports betting platform Novig and appeared disrobed in most scenes.
- The ad drew criticism from netizens, female athletes, and journalists for setting back women’s sports.
- Journalists who spoke out against the ad were blasted online, with many even mocking their appearances.
Many journalists joined the uproar, sharing their varied opinions on the matter, and are now being dragged online for doing so.
A certain section of netizens has publicly blasted some of these writers, sharing their photos and comparing their appearances to Sweeney’s.
“They all fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch,” one person said about the journalists.
Journalists who criticized Sydney Sweeney for the ad were attacked online
In the now-viral Novig ad, Sweeney is seen strategically holding sports equipment such as a football or a tennis racket across her breasts or backside in most scenes, telling the audience the platform is meant for betting on sports.
Dozens of journalists spoke up against the commercial, and so did female athletes and netizens.
The Telegraph writer and editor Poppie Platt called her “patriarchy’s dream woman,” and someone who does not seem like “a girl’s girl.”
“Of course Sweeney is welcome to strip off on screen – women are, and should be, free to do what they want with their bodies,” she wrote. “The issue is that Sweeney’s talent is beginning to play second fiddle to her pretty face.”
Award-winning The Guardian columnist Zoe Williams alleged that Sweeney is “begging for controversy” with the ad, where her expression and body language seemingly say, “This is really going to p**s people off, and I couldn’t be more delighted.”
Both journalists have been brutally attacked online for their think pieces on Sweeney.
“Why does the word ‘jealousy’ come to mind?” one person said. Another wrote, “Ugly women hating on a hot woman because men desire her more.”
“She looks like she's pushing 400 pounds. No wonder she’s bitter,” a third comment read. A fourth said, “Their meltdowns helped Sweeney and the brand get even more exposure.”
Nonprofit outlet The 19th’s reporter Candice Norwood, who wrote against Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad in 2025, also drew criticism.
“I thought the point of being a true feminist is that women can be whomever they want to be and not be judged,” another netizen chimed in.
Female athletes and netizens blasted Sydney Sweeney for the Novig ad
Among the athletes who protested the Novig ad was retired Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who wrote on Instagram, “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.”
“How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and s*xu*lizing women’s sport is still a thing?” she continued, adding that the ad felt like “a kick in the face.”
Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer told CNN that the ad was “very damaging for young females getting into sports, for females in sport, for females in general.”
American gymnast Gracie Kramer told NBC News that the ad's underlying issue was “much bigger than Sydney Sweeney.”
“When s*xu*lization is used as a way to get men interested in women’s sports, it reinforces the exact narrative that we’ve been trying to dismantle,” she said.
Former Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman also mocked Sweeney with a parody of the ad, where she appeared in a blonde wig, red shorts, and a prosthetic mold over her breasts as various types of sports balls were thrown at her chest.
Sydney Sweeney has gone through back-to-back controversies since her American Eagle ad
Sweeney issued a subtle, cryptic response to the backlash by sharing a series of images of famous athletes who have appeared completely or partially unclothed in magazine photoshoots.
Among them were Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki, as well as male athletes such as Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
A video of Sweeney crying on camera also surfaced, where she is heard saying, “I think it's really important for people to see how words actually affect people.”
However, it turned out to be a 2021 Instagram Live video, in which Sweeney became emotional while discussing online criticism.
The Eden actress has found herself at the center of one controversy after another over the past year, starting with American Eagle’s now-infamous “Great Jeans” campaign, which was accused of having racial undertones.
American Eagle stood by the campaign, and the controversy became increasingly politicized after President Donald Trump praised the ad.
Sweeney then faced criticism over a limited-edition Dr. Squatch soap that she and the brand claimed was made with her bathwater.
In January 2026, another promotional stunt landed her in hot water when she posted footage of herself and a production crew climbing the Hollywood Sign and draping brassieres over the letters to promote her lingerie brand, SYRN.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce later said the stunt was not authorized and that no permission was sought for the commercial use of the landmark.
She also faced backlash over a “degrading” dog-play scene in Euphoria season 3, in which her character, Cassie Howard, dresses in dog ears, a tail, and a collar while filming explicit content, and is later humiliated for it by her on-screen husband, Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi.
"No envy detected." The internet trolled journalists for criticizing Sydney Sweeney
