Sydney Sweeney, the 28-year-old Euphoria actress, has become the latest target of satirical news outlet The Onion, facing brutal mockery in a viral fake interview that lampoons her recent controversies.
The Controversial Ad Campaign
The firestorm began in July when Sweeney found herself at the centre of a media storm after starring in a controversial American Eagle campaign. The advertisement, which playfully referenced her 'good genes,' sparked accusations that the actress was promoting white supremacy through its divisive rhetoric.
Earlier this month, the Hollywood star finally addressed the controversial advert during an interview with GQ magazine. However, she notably failed to express regret for the negative interpretations or denounce racism directly. When questioned about the campaign, Sweeney stated: 'When I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.' She added, 'I know at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, so it didn't affect me one way or the other.'
The Onion's Viral Mockery
Over the weekend, The Onion published a completely fabricated interview with the actress that has since gone viral across social media platforms. The satirical piece took direct aim at several aspects of Sweeney's recent controversies, including her failure to speak out against white supremacy, her relationship with divisive record executive Scooter Braun, and her alleged MAGA political leanings.
In response to a question about her political affiliation, the publication comically wrote as Sweeney's fake answer: 'Honestly, I prefer to keep my desire to make America great again private.' While Sweeney hasn't publicly declared her political stance, reports indicate she registered as a Republican voter in Florida ahead of the 2024 election. Additionally, a 2022 photograph showing her posing with family members wearing MAGA hats previously circulated online.
The mock interview became increasingly biting with questions like 'What's your stance on white supremacy?' to which The Onion penned her fictional response: 'I'm OK with it if it's done tastefully.' When asked about Scooter Braun, the publication wrote: 'I love how he's always pushing me to be a worse version of myself.'
Public Backlash and Career Consequences
Social media users quickly amplified The Onion's content, with many discussing what they perceived as Sweeney's dramatic fall from grace. On Reddit, one user commented: 'I actually can't remember the last time someone fell off so hard in the public eye as Sydney Sweeney recently.' Another wrote: 'That interviewer gave her the opportunity to say she was against white supremacy and she couldn't even do that.'
The controversy has coincided with professional setbacks for the actress. Her new film Christy, in which she portrays Hall of Fame boxer Christy Martin, tanked at the box office, grossing a meager $1.3 million during its opening weekend. Adding to her troubles, fellow celebrities including Ruby Rose and Aimee Lou Wood have taken public stands against her.
According to reputation expert Eric Schiffer, who spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail, Sweeney has employed clever PR techniques to manage the mounting backlash. 'She's evading damage because she never fed the beast: no apology tour, then straight back to work,' he explained. Schiffer noted that while Sweeney appears 'cancellation-bulletproof right now,' she should tread carefully, adding that 'it would be reckless debating eugenics semantics.'
Despite the controversies, Schiffer suggested that Sweeney's approach might have inadvertently strengthened her position in Hollywood, where 'heat reads as currency,' and she has 'proved she can take a vicious wallop and survive.'
