In late July 2025, Sydney Sweeney made headlines after her latest American Eagle advertising campaign with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” sparked controversy online. On August 3, the actress attended the premiere of her new film, Americana, at the Desert 5 Spot in Hollywood. However, upon arrival, she was heckled by a woman off-camera. In an exclusive and now-viral video shared by TMZ, Sweeney was seen being escorted from her black SUV to the venue by security, while a female voice was heard saying:“Stop the ad, that is being racist!”However, Sydney, who was wearing a pale yellow off-shoulder gown, seemed unaffected by the remark and calmly entered the venue without responding to the protester.In the wake of the viral 11-second clip that has now circulated across social media platforms, netizens are reacting in various ways. For example, Reddit user @graypumpkins commented on the @r/popculturechat community page that shared the same video.A netizen reacts to Sweeney's heckling. (Image via Reddit)Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on X:“Completely unbothered, looking like a princess. Where's the pic of the heckler?” one user wrote.“They would never do this to anybody else,” a fan wrote.“I’m sure she and American Eagle will get over it,” another fan wrote.Others continued to weigh in:“All their insecurities showing,” a netizen wrote.“Haters gonna hate,” another netizen wrote.“Sydney Sweeney is the REAL DEAL!” a third individual wrote.Americana is a crime thriller set to release on August 15. Directed by Tony Tost, it stars Halsey, Eric Dane, Simon Rex, Paul Walter Hauser, and Zahn McClamon. Sydney Sweeney takes on the female lead as Penny Jo Poplin.Exploring Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversyOn July 23, 2025, American Eagle launched a jeans commercial campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney as part of their collaboration for the fall/winter collection of the limited-edition “Sydney Jeans.” Initially, the ad series was displayed on billboards across the USA, including cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and New York City. However, when the company released the campaign online, social media users pointed out that the phrase “great jeans” in the tagline appeared to contain a denim pun for the term “great genes,” thus denoting alleged racial undertones and white supremacy. This sparked controversy and backlash on the internet. In fact, one of the ads showed 27-year-old Sweeney painting over the words “great genes” and turning them into “great jeans.” Meanwhile, a second clip featured Sweeney saying the lines:"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans [genes] are blue."A third ad featured the actress wearing a denim waistcoat and a pair of denim trousers.“My body’s composition is determined by my genes/ jeans,” Sydney Sweeney is heard saying before the camera shows a closeup of her chest, and she adds, “Hey, eyes up here.”This clip has been labeled “tone-deaf” and “suggestive” by internet users, according to Yahoo!Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad sparked a controversy. (Image via X)Despite the backlash, The White Lotus star did not respond to the controversy. However, American Eagle took to Instagram last Friday and addressed the matter."'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her Jeans. Her Story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way," the brand wrote.Meanwhile, Craig Brommers, the Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle, called the partnership "the biggest get in the history of our brand," during a recent interview with Modern Retail."We've had a lot of success working with multiple talent in one season, so it's not like that recipe is dead… There are only a few celebrities that have the cachet to be the face of a dual-gender brand, and Sweeney is one of them," he said. "When she was into the idea of working with us, that's when you say, I think this is a special, unique moment, and it needs to feel like that."However, he did not address the controversy.Notably, Sydney Sweeney’s collaboration with American Eagle drew comparison with Beyoncé’s September 2024 collaboration with Levi’s for a jeans commercial titled “REIIMAGINE.”The proceeds from Sweeney’s AE campaign will go directly to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit offering mental health and domestic violence support and crisis intervention, according to The Hollywood Reporter.