Sydney Sweeney Criticized for Brushing Off Racial Concerns of ‘Great Jeans’ Ad: ‘Racists Loved It!’

Others on social media applauded the actress for not energizing the topic during her recent GQ cover story: “A PR masterclass”

Sydney Sweeney GQ interview
Sydney Sweeney interviews with GQ. (Youtube)

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans just won’t quit.

Over three months after her controversial “great jeans” ad’s release, the “Euphoria” actress opened up about the pushback the advertisement received in an interview with GQ this week — and many online took issue that the actress did not denounce what many perceived to be racist undertones within the campaign.

“Presuming that you are not a white supremacist, at least say how horrified you were by how this campaign was amplified and celebrated by unrepentant racists who believe in eugenics,” British photographer Misan Harriman wrote on Instagram, sharing a clip from the GQ interview.

“At least recognize the harm your jeans campaign has caused Black folk,” he continued, “the undertone of the campaign is that your genetics are superior to others, the play on words is clear as day and racists LOVED it!”

While Sweeney expressed surprise to the reaction the campaign stirred up on social media — “The reaction was definitely a surprise, but I love jeans” — she dodged interviewer Katherine Stoeffel’s invitation to address those concerns.

“The criticism of the content, which was basically that maybe specifically in this political climate, like, white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority — that was kind of the criticism broadly speaking,” Stoeffel said. “Since you are talking about this, I just wanted to give you the opportunity to talk about that specifically.”

“I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,” Sweeney said, appearing to brush the question aside.

Watch the clip from Sweeney’s GQ interview below:

The American Eagle advertisement went viral following its late July release. The spot hinged on Sweeney saying she had “great jeans,” implying that she also had great “genes.” Critics accused the ad of playing up eugenics.

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” she said. “My jeans are blue.”

After Sweeney addressed the backlash in her GQ cover story, “White Lotus” actress Aimee Lou Wood was one of the many to chime in on the matter, commenting a barfing emoji on Harriman’s Instagram reel. Others went so far as to accuse the actress of pandering to “bigots” and being “unapologetically pro-white.”

“Now I understand why people hate her,” one X user wrote.

Sydney Sweeney (Getty Images)
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Others defended the actress, saying that she “keeps winning the hearts of conservative men by refusing to answer a race-baiting question” and that she “absolutely shut down the gotcha and stood her ground.”

“Sydney Sweeney delivered a PR masterclass in her GQ interview,” one fan wrote.

Keep reading for more social media reactions to the actress’ GQ interview and her American Eagle ad below:

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Sydney Sweeney attends the "Echo Valley" European Premiere at the BFI Southbank on June 10, 2025 in London, England
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Tess Patton

Tess joined TheWrap as the company’s first reporting fellow in 2024. Tess is from Birmingham, Alabama and attended the University of Southern California, graduating with degrees in theatre and journalism. She also served as the executive editor for Annenberg Media, closely overseeing coverage of campus protests amidst the Israel-Hamas War.

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