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In a new interview, Glen Powell has spoken out in support of his friend and former co-star Sydney Sweeney, addressing the backlash she faced earlier this year over a controversial denim campaign with American Eagle.
The campaign, titled Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans, became a lightning rod for criticism shortly after its debut. What was intended as a playful slogan quickly drew outrage online due to its wordplay on “jeans” and “genes,” with many claiming the phrase echoed language historically associated with eugenics. The resulting discourse quickly snowballed, with many wondering why no major voices in Hollywood stepped in to defend the Euphoria star.
Glen Powell breaks his silence on Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad backlash
Powell, who starred alongside Sweeney in the 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You, pushed back on that idea during an interview with The Guardian.
“I think people weighed in on it,” he said after interviewer Marina Hyde suggested Sweeney had been left to “twist in the wind.”
Powell argued that most people recognized the outrage for what it was. “I think people are aware that it’s bulls***,” he added.
He went on to criticize the media landscape surrounding controversies like this. “In an era in which businesses are evolving and are seeing their mortality in front of them, sometimes they are desperate to make anything run,” Powell said. “Whether it’s true or not, whether it hurts anyone – there is no accountability anymore.”
When asked if he avoids engaging with public controversies, Powell explained his stance bluntly:
“You can’t get caught up in it — it has nothing to do with you, it has to do with ad dollars.”
“If something’s false, you’re not actually setting the record straight, you’re just feeding the beast. That’s why I don’t say s*** — just let it come, and let it go.”
“I’ve realised the smart people in Hollywood don’t try to fight anything that has nothing to do with them.”
Meanwhile, Jay Schottenstein, CEO of American Eagle, publicly stood by the campaign in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last month. “You can’t run from fear,” he said. “We stand behind what we did.” Sweeney, however, has remained silent throughout the controversy, despite others — including a political figure who cited her Republican Party registration — weighing in on her behalf.
Powell’s remarks have struck a chord with many in the industry who have grown increasingly weary of internet outrage cycles. Whether Sweeney addresses the controversy herself remains to be seen, but for now, she has the backing of at least one outspoken Hollywood friend.
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