EXCLUSIVE: Sydney Sweeney 'Reeling From Backlash Over Provocative Ad Campaign'
Sydney Sweeney faces backlash over a provocative ad campaign that sparked criticism and controversy.
Oct. 28 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Sydney Sweeney is buckling under the backlash over her latest ad campaign while struggling to boost sales of her lingerie line, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Euphoria star, 29, is being blasted for her promo for a sports betting site as her howbiz beau desperately tries to prop her up, according to insiders.
Sydney Sweeney Reportedly Devastated by Backlash Over Racy Ad
Female athletes criticized Sweeney's Novig ad for demeaning the work and athleticism of female competitors.
"Behind closed doors, there have been plenty of tears," a source told RadarOnline.com. "Sydney is sensitive and can't understand why she's always a target."
The Anyone but You actress came under fire for posing naked, using footballs, a tennis racket and other athletic gear to strategically obscure portions of her body in a commercial for the sports betting platform Novig.
Female athletes jumped all over the ad, criticizing it for demeaning the hard work and athleticism of female competitors.
"Sydney's ad was not putting women down," said an insider. "She wasn't in any way intending that, and she doesn't understand how the situation spiraled so much. She's lost tens of thousands of social media followers over this. It's a disaster from a business perspective."
The Housemaid star seemed to clap back at the haters by sharing a series of famous athletes posing in the buff on her Instagram Stories.
Scooter Braun Supports Sydney Sweeney Amid Mounting Career Troubles
Scooter Braun has been Sweeney's 'saving grace,' according to a source.
Meanwhile, Sweeney's "saving grace" has been her 45-year-old boyfriend, Scooter Braun, an entrepreneur whose net worth is reportedly over $1billion.
"Scooter is always there to build Sydney up," said the source. "Everyone is expecting him to pop the question very soon, which will certainly lift Sydney's mood, but there's no way it will erase her problems."
Sweeney, whose 2025 American Eagle campaign drew backlash, too, is also dealing with lackluster sales for her SYRN lingerie line while critics accused the brand's advertising of selling her body and not the product.
Friends Fear Sydney Sweeney Is 'Spiraling' Under Mounting Criticism
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Jennifer Lopez was among those cited as one of the women who 'flaunt their figures for a paycheck.'
For now, Sweeney is putting on a "brave face," shared RadarOnline.com's source.
"Many other women in Hollywood, including Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, flaunt their figures for a paycheck," pointed out the source. "It feels very unfair that Sydney's on the receiving end of so much hatred for doing the same thing."
Now, the source added: "Friends fear she's spiraling under all the criticism."
