Why Sydney Sweeney Now Regrets Staying Silent on the American Eagle Backlash After Box-Office Stumbles

So, the Sydney Sweeney/American Eagle thing? It spun way beyond a cheeky jeans pun and turned into a culture-war mess. Now Sweeney is finally talking about it, and yes, she says she regrets staying quiet.

What kicked this off

Sweeney starred in American Eagle's 'Great Jeans' campaign with the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' Pretty obvious wordplay on 'jeans' and 'genes.' That double meaning set people off. Some read it as a dog whistle about genetics, beauty standards, and who gets to be considered 'ideal.' It escalated fast: accusations that the spot was pushing white supremacy, promoting slimness as destiny, and even people calling it 'nazi propaganda.'

For the record, it was later clarified the ad was just about, you know, jeans. Still, Sweeney got dragged for being the face of it. Then it got even messier: online chatter painted her as a Republican, and somehow that spiraled to the point where Donald Trump got pulled into the American Eagle discourse. Yes, that actually happened. Internet gonna internet.

Sweeney breaks her silence (and says she regrets the silence)

Up to now, Sweeney had stayed quiet. That was deliberate — she says her rule has been not to respond to press, good or bad. But she told People that she’s changed her mind and wishes she had spoken up sooner. She also tried to pivot the conversation toward unity instead of outrage.

'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.'

'I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.'

She also made it clear she’s against hate. Simple, but given how wild this got, probably necessary.

Did the backlash hurt her boxing biopic?

Here’s where it gets weirdly specific. Sweeney leads 'Christy,' a 2025 biopic about boxing legend Christy Martin. There was legit buzz — especially around Sweeney’s physical transformation for the role — but the release arrived in the shadow of the American Eagle controversy and that sudden political pile-on. The mood was hostile. Not entirely her fault, obviously, but the noise didn’t help.

The result: the movie opened soft — reportedly one of the lowest openings ever — and the worldwide gross is still stuck in the unimpressive column.

• Christy — Directed by David Michod
• Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever
• Release date: November 7, 2025
• IMDb rating: 6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
• Worldwide box office: $1.9 million
• Production: Black Bear Pictures

Is 'Christy' a casualty of the backlash? Probably not entirely, but the timing didn’t do it any favors. If you want to judge for yourself, it’s playing in select theaters in the U.S.