Sydney Sweeney canât seem to brush off her new viral ad, despite support from multiple sources. The new comment comes after the actress decided to pose for another campaign, leaving the internet in pure chaos. The âEuphoriaâ star, 27, is at the center of a firestorm after her new American Eagle jeans ad sparked backlash for its tagline, âSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.â What should have been a cheeky wordplay quickly spiraled into several racial accusations, prompting the brand to issue a statement clarifying that, yes, the campaign is about denim and not a political manifesto.
But while social media critics piled on, one of Hollywoodâs most controversial comedians stepped in to back her up. In comes none other than Matt Rife.
Sydney Sweeneyâs âJeansâ Problem
The ad, which features Sweeney buttoning up a pair of American Eagle denim, included lines about genetics. Some of these included, âGenes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes are blue.â Another clip ended with Sweeney quipping, âMy bodyâs composition is determined by my genes. Hey, eyes up here.â
The tongue-in-cheek campaign was designed to play off the pun between genes and jeans. But, instead, it set off alarms across Twitter, where critics accused the ads of promoting eugenics. Others, however, found the outrage laughable. American Eagle responded with a statement insisting, ââSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeansâ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. Great jeans look good on everyone.â
For Sweeney, itâs just the latest internet storm. Earlier this year, she also stirred up debate for promoting a Dr. Squatch soap line that was allegedly infused with her real bathwater.
Enter Matt Rife
If anyone knows how it feels to be in the internetâs crosshairs, itâs Rife. The 29-year-old comic shot to fame on TikTok before scoring a Netflix special, âNatural Selection,â in 2023. But he quickly found himself âcanceled,â as the internet has put it for a controversial bit about domestic violence. The joke, which revolved around a waitress with a black eye, sparked outrage. Rifeâs sarcastic âapologyâ linked critics to a helmet store for people with disabilities.
More recently, his appearance in an E.l.f. Cosmetics parody ad, which also quickly backfired so badly that the brand issued a public apology. Still, Rifeâs career hasnât slowed down despite the controversy. He continues to sell out shows and remains one of comedyâs most polarizing figures. So yes, it makes him a fitting ally for Sweeney.
Rifeâs Comments: âPeople Are Awfulâ
Jumping to X (formerly Twitter), Rife slammed the backlash against Sweeneyâs denim ad and her bathwater soap promotion. âI keep seeing people mad at Sydney Sweeney for noooothing,â he wrote. âSheâs learning that the internet is full of absolute garbage losers who will twist anything you say into a c–ty misinterpretation. People are awful.â
Rife paired the post with a clip of Sweeney herself addressing the soap controversy, where she noted that much of the criticism came from women. âIt was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting,â Sweeney said. âThey all loved the idea of Jacob Elordiâs bathwater.â
Rifeâs defense of Sweeney adds him to a growing list of unlikely supporters. Dr. Phil recently called the outrage over the jeans campaign âan absolute insult,â and even former President Donald Trump weighed in after being told that Sweeney is a registered Republican.
Both Sweeney and Rife are navigating the messy intersection of celebrity, branding, and internet culture. They are proof that at times, an ad meant to sell denim or soap can morph into a lightning rod for political and cultural debates. Sweeney is currently promoting her latest film, âAmericana,â while Rife is headlining comedy tours, each learning that in 2025, the internet has a hair-trigger reaction time.
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