Sydney Sweeney has addressed the social media firestorm that erupted after she posted a photo dump on Instagram in celebration of her mother’s 60th birthday, one photo which featured an unidentified man donning a Blue Lives Matter shirt.
“You guys this is wild,” the two-time Emmy nominee wrote on Twitter. “An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone ♥️ and Happy Birthday Mom!”
The “Euphoria” breakout had posted the photos from the celebration earlier on Saturday. “No better way to celebrate my momma than a surprise hoedown?,” she captioned the post, in which the second photo depicts herself, her mother and several other individuals around a birthday cake. A man can be clearly seen in the background with the MAGA-affiliated outerwear. In separate photos posted by her brother, Trent, attendees are depicted in MAGA parody hats that read: “Make Sixty Great Again.”
It didn’t take long for social media to raise eyebrows at the picture, with Twitter users using Sweeney’s own memed clips from “Euphoria” to poke fun at the whereabouts of her family during the January 6 riots. Others stepped in to defend the actress, writing, “Has the thought crossed anyone’s mind that it’s possible Sydney Sweeney strongly disagrees with the politics of her parents, just like an enormous proportion of Millennials/Gen Z? She isn’t responsible for her family’s ideas anymore than you are. Leave her alone.”
Some were left dissatisfied by the response, calling the choice to post the photos where the ultra-right wing and anti-Black Lives Matter imagery is visible an “absurd political statement” in and of itself.
