For a moment, Sydney Sweeney seemed unstoppable.
With back-to-back Emmy nominations for HBO’s Euphoria and The White Lotus and box-office success with Will Gluck’s Anyone But You, the 28-year-old actor had the hallmarks of a star on the rise: solid acting chops, brand collaborations with Armani and Miu Miu, and an online fan base that catapulted her into the cultural spotlight. But, in recent times, that same spotlight has turned unforgiving, casting long shadows over a career now embroiled in controversy, political fallout, and a string of commercial failures.
In the wake of her latest film Christy opening to dismal box-office numbers, her reported ties to the Republican Party, and a rumored rift with former co-star Zendaya, the question being asked in industry circles is whether Sydney Sweeney’s once-glittering Hollywood career can recover, and why this question tends to befall women in the public eye rather than men.
Christy, a gritty biopic of boxer Christy Martin, opened to just $1.3 million across more than 2,000 theaters—one of the worst openings on record. The public frenzy following Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign has continued to follow her—resurfacing in a GQ interview and leading to a new flurry of divisive comments due to her reluctance to speak in depth on the ad and how it impacted many viewers.
PR strategist Amore Philip told Newsweek that Sydney Sweeney is not in the middle of a career collapse, but is simply overdue for a reset.
“Sweeney’s current situation isn’t a career crisis; it’s a brand recalibration, I would say,” said Philip, founder and CEO of Apples & Oranges Public Relations in New York. “Every breakout star eventually faces a moment when public perception catches up to their level of exposure, and that’s where she finds herself now.”
That moment has arrived, and it is defining the trajectory of one of Gen Z’s most-watched celebrities. Newsweek reached out to Sydney Sweeney’s public relations team via email on Tuesday for comment.
From ‘Euphoria’ to Everywhere
Sweeney’s name became synonymous with HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria, where she played Cassandra “Cassie” Howard. Her performance, which saw her struggle through unrequited love for her best friend’s boyfriend, drew critical acclaim.
Sweeney followed that success with another well-received role in HBO’s The White Lotus, positioning herself alongside fellow breakout stars from the teen drama Euphoria; these included Zendaya, who had an executive-producer role on the show, Maude Apatow, and Hollywood’s current go-to leading man, Jacob Elordi.
With that early momentum, Sweeney landed major brand deals and began making the leap to feature films. Her 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You was a box-office success, but the films that followed took a different turn.
Flop After Flop
Sweeney’s 2024 superhero feature, Madame Web, bombed with critics and audiences alike, grossing just over $100 million globally on a production budget of around the same figure.
Despite Christy’s similar failure to pull in numbers at cinemas, Sweeney remains fiercely proud of the project.
“This experience has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” she wrote on Instagram following the release. “This film stands for survival, courage, and hope. Through our campaigns, we’ve helped raise awareness for so many affected by domestic violence…If Christy gave even one woman the courage to take her first step toward safety, then we will have succeeded.”
The actor’s impassioned support of the film stands in stark contrast to its reception. Reviews were middling and audience turnout sparse, despite the project’s noble message.
“We don’t always just make art for numbers,” Sweeney wrote. “We make it for impact.”
Ryan McCormick, co-founder and media relations specialist at Goldman McCormick, does not find Sweeney’s recent box-office failings too worrisome.
“Box-office underperformance isn’t career-ending for A-listers—Johnny Depp, Leo DiCaprio, and Charlize Theron have all weathered similar storms,” McCormick told Newsweek. “Is the failure of Christy a crisis for Sweeney? In the short term, it seems like a time to worry, but, from a wider PR perspective, I wouldn’t say there’s anything to be concerned about.
“Movies don’t connect with audiences for a number of reasons,” McCormick added.
Jeans, Genes and Politics
Earlier this year, Sweeney fronted a campaign for American Eagle Outfitters under the slogan, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
In the short ad, she delivered a voice-over that many interpreted as playing on the pun between “jeans” and “genes.” The visual—Sweeney, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman—sparked allegations of subtle eugenics messaging, racism and alarm from viewers across the board, but in particular from left-wing commentators and people of a liberal or left-wing persuasion.
Sweeney’s political leanings, already under speculation after images surfaced in 2022 showing her family at a party wearing MAGA hats, made headlines until she dismissed the images as not-serious political indicators. Reports that she was a registered Republican further polarized public opinion. Then, President Donald Trump praised the campaign, and what followed was an online firestorm that Sweeney’s team struggled to contain.
In a recent GQ interview, Sweeney downplayed the reaction. “I did a jean ad…The reaction definitely was a surprise…I love jeans…All I wear are jeans…I’m literally in jeans right now,” she told the interviewer.
Some saw Sweeney’s refusal to directly confront the controversy as savvy, an attempt to remain above the political fray and stay out of trouble. Others saw it as tone-deaf, while many criticized Sweeney for what they deemed to be her failure to denounce any racist signaling that could be interpreted from the original ad.
Fellow White Lotus alum Aimee Lou Wood responded to the interview clip, posted to Instagram, with a vomiting emoji in the comments, a move widely interpreted as shade directed at Sweeney, and one that has gone viral on TikTok.
“While recent box office flops and the backlash over her American Eagle ad may have raised eyebrows, they didn’t significantly damage Sweeney’s credibility,” Philip said. “Instead, they highlighted a disconnect between her marketing and audience perceptions.
“To remedy this, she should address the backlash from the American Eagle campaign subtly, not with an apology, but through actions that align her with brands reflecting confidence, individuality, and depth. Her audience doesn’t need perfection; they need to see progress.”
Still, while industry insiders like Philip theorize how Sweeney’s career could bounce back, some commentators, and members of the public, question whether it should.
While Sweeney has admitted to feeling surprised by the reaction and appears not to have intended to create a political or societal statement, her American Eagle stint has prompted some spectators online to question whether a public figure should even keep their platform if they have been aligned with racist and supremacist undertones and have not denounced that.
Aside from the fallout, product sales grew following Sweeney’s appearance, and the brand went on to collaborate with Travis Kelce.
“Despite the controversy, the company attributed Sweeney’s ad to helping them attain the ‘second highest ever’ revenue for a quarter,” McCormick added.
Zendaya Rift and Public Image Shift
A reported rift between Sweeney and former co-star Zendaya has become a major talking point, allegedly driven by political differences and how aligning despite that could make each actress look to her fans.
Sweeney’s personal life has also come under intense public scrutiny. Her long-term engagement to businessman Jonathan Davino ended, prompting speculation about her relationship with Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell. That film was a rare hit among a string of otherwise-underperforming projects including Eden (2024) and Americana, both of which flopped.
Sweeney, originally from Spokane, Washington, has also been romantically linked to music executive Scooter Braun, a figure long associated with controversy.
Adding to the unease, she recently faced criticism for collaborating on a brand of bath soap, alleging to sell some of her bathwater with the product. The move was derided by women’s rights campaigners as retrograde and pandering.
Despite the string of public-facing drama, Sweeney has been busy promoting her latest films and speaking on panels in a slew of glossy outfits while sporting a chic new bob-cut. Perhaps a starting effort to remedy her image? After all, her current predicament, according to industry experts, is not a lost cause.
“Rather than overexposing herself through numerous brand deals, she should pursue projects that expand her range and remind audiences why she initially became famous,” Philip said. “A high-impact indie film, a nuanced streaming role, or even a thoughtful long-form interview could help her reset the narrative, showcasing her work beyond sensational headlines.
“Her comeback should be less about reinvention. She requires realignment. This is the ideal time for her publicists to focus on authentic storytelling and intentional visibility.”
Sarah Schmidt, branding expert and president of the PR firm, Interdependence, agreed. “The majority of people in Hollywood have ups and downs,” she told Newsweek. “Not every project is a home run. In the case of Sweeney, calling this a career crisis is overblown. That said, Sweeney can use this moment to reclaim her own narrative and creative control.”
With upcoming roles—including a co-starring appearance in The Housemaid opposite Amanda Seyfried—Sweeney is not without options. But the industry experts like Philip, McCormick and Schmidt will be watching closely to see how she navigates what comes next.