Washington actress Sydney Sweeney is being dragged online over her provocative new ad, with some viewers criticizing the star for stripping down to promote a sports prediction platform.
The backlash came after the star appeared in an advertisement for sports prediction market Novig. Most of the ad featured Sweeney naked as she covered her body with sports equipment, including footballs and basketballs.
Sweeney also wore a pair of white Novig underwear at some points in the ad. She promoted Novig by differentiating it from other prediction markets. “No betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes and sports,” the actress said.
According to Page Six, Sweeney has joined Novig as a strategic partner and equity holder. She also explained the idea behind the ad in a press release, saying, “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
People are criticizing Sweeney over her new Novig advertisement largely because of its heavy use of sexualized imagery to promote a sports prediction platform. Some viewers have described the campaign as unnecessary and objectifying for an advertisement focused on sports predictions. Others have questioned the decision to have a celebrity promote a betting-related service through provocative imagery, arguing that the campaign could make gambling appear glamorous or aspirational.
This was not the first time one of Sydney Sweeney’s advertising campaigns attracted controversy. In 2025, her American Eagle campaign, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” drew criticism over its wordplay involving “jeans” and “genes.” Some critics argued that the campaign, which emphasized Sweeney’s inherited physical traits and portrayed her as a blonde, blue-eyed white woman, carried uncomfortable eugenic or white-supremacist undertones.
Others defended the campaign as an intentionally provocative play on words and accused critics of overreacting. American Eagle maintained that the campaign was simply about its denim products, but the controversy became another example of Sweeney’s advertising work attracting strong reactions online. With her latest Novig ad now facing criticism over its sexualized imagery, some viewers have once again questioned the marketing choices behind her campaigns.
Fans Slam Washington Star Sydney Sweeney Over New Ad
After Washington actress Sydney Sweeney’s new ad went live, fans quickly criticized her over the imagery featured in the campaign. The advertisement drew harsh comments online, with one person writing, “How embarrassing a life to lead. And she’s choosing it for herself.” Another person said, “I would never want to appeal to the male fantasy like this personally.”
More people criticized the actress, with one person saying, “So this is super [expletive] gross.” Another person said, “Maybe I’m being dramatic but I feel like this is helping to set humanity backwards.” Someone else added, “Besides capitalizing on being ‘apolitical’, the ad itself is also SO GROSS, she’s so hipersexualized. Can’t understand why she did that to her career, cause she is a good actress and pretty, there would be plenty of work for her… I think this is also gonna set her back as an actress.”
Sydney Sweeney’s Novig ad drew further attention to the backlash that can follow when actresses appear in sexualized or controversial advertising campaigns. It also renewed debate over Sweeney’s public image, with fans remaining divided over her career choices and the marketing decisions behind her projects.
