Sydney Sweeney has shed roughly 200,000 Instagram followers since a nude sports betting advertisement triggered widespread criticism online.
The “Euphoria” star, 27, appeared in a promotional spot for Novig, a sports trading app, in which she appeared naked with strategically placed sports equipment covering her body. Variety tracked her Instagram metrics and found that after an initial gain of about 50,000 followers in the immediate aftermath, her count dropped by approximately 200,000 in the days that followed.
Sweeney addressed the concept in a statement, framing it as lighthearted. “The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” she said. “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.”
Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, was among the prominent voices pushing back. “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” she said. “How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
Marissa Womack, manager of game day promotions and programming for minor league baseball team the Harrisburg Senators, also spoke out. She said that her critique wasn’t based on jealousy or insecurity of Sweeney, but instead about a ‘male-dominated field where we are constantly having to prove why we belong’.
“It’s about having passions and joy working in this industry and when the only representation is sexualization, you see less and less young women wanting to pursue this industry!” she added.
Despite the follower loss and public criticism, Sweeney has continued to share additional clips from the Novig campaign on her social media accounts, suggesting she is not backing away from the project. With approximately 25 million Instagram followers remaining, the drop represents a relatively small fraction of her overall audience.
This is not the first time one of Sweeney’s advertisements has generated controversy. An American Eagle jeans spot previously drew significant negative attention. In that ad, she said: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Sweeney later said the response to the jeans campaign “definitely was a surprise,” adding that she didn’t see most of it because she was filming and had her phone away.
The actress has also appeared in promotional material for her own lingerie brand, Syrn, in similarly revealing fashion.
The outlet has contacted Sydney Sweeney’s representatives and Novig for comment.