Last updated: September 15, 2026
Sydney Sweeney has spent the past year becoming one of Hollywood’s most consistently discussed actresses, not always for her films. In the last 24 hours alone, she has lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers following backlash to a barely-clothed ad for sports-prediction platform Novig, the latest in a pattern of provocative brand campaigns stretching back to 2025’s American Eagle “Great Jeans” controversy. At the same time, fresh reports have surfaced linking her romantically to music executive Scooter Braun, adding a personal-life storyline to an already eventful month.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Sydney Bernice Sweeney |
| Born | September 12, 1997, Spokane, Washington, United States |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Years Active | 2009 to present |
| Known For | Cassie Howard in HBO’s Euphoria; The White Lotus; Anyone But You (2023) |
| Production Company | Fifty-Fifty Films (founded 2020) |
Who Is Sydney Sweeney?
Sydney Sweeney is an American actress and producer known for her roles in HBO’s Euphoria and The White Lotus, as well as box-office films including Anyone But You and Immaculate. Beyond acting, she has built a reputation as one of the entertainment industry’s most talked-about brand ambassadors, for both the commercial success and the recurring controversy her campaigns generate.
Early Life and Background
Sweeney was born in Spokane, Washington, and raised in a rural stretch of the Washington-Idaho border. Her mother worked as a criminal defense lawyer. She has one younger brother, Trent. An athletic child who played soccer and skied, Sweeney became determined to act after an independent film shot near her hometown when she was around 12; she reportedly drafted a five-year business plan to convince her parents to let her pursue it, and the family later moved to Los Angeles to support her career.
Career
Sweeney’s early career included guest roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds, followed by a small part in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). She broke out as Cassie Howard in HBO’s Euphoria starting in 2019, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2022. That same year, she received a second Emmy nomination for her role in The White Lotus.
She founded her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, in 2020, and has since built a career spanning both prestige television and mainstream box office work.
Major Work and Notable Projects
Sweeney’s film credits include Reality (2023), Anyone But You (2023), Madame Web (2024), Immaculate (2024), and The Housemaid (2025) alongside Amanda Seyfried. Her performance as professional boxer Christy Martin in the 2025 biopic Christy earned her a TIFF Tribute Award. She also won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Movie Star in 2024.
Current Projects and Latest Updates
Sweeney’s most significant recent attention has come from advertising rather than film work. On September 9, 2026, she appeared in a campaign for sports-prediction platform Novig, in which she is shown fully or partially nude posing with sports equipment. The ad drew sharp criticism, including from Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus, over what critics called the sexualization of women’s sport. Sweeney’s Instagram following, previously around 26 million, dropped by over 200,000 in the days following the backlash, according to analytics firm Social Blade, though this represents under 1% of her total following.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2025, Sweeney’s American Eagle “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign drew accusations of eugenics-adjacent messaging, while also driving a reported spike in American Eagle’s stock price. Commentators, including Newsweek, have explicitly framed the Novig ad as a continuation of the same pattern, controversial, sexually charged brand campaigns that generate backlash but also sustained commercial attention. Sweeney addressed the earlier American Eagle controversy in a 2026 interview, saying she is “against hate and divisiveness” and that she had not anticipated the scale of the reaction.
Separately, reports emerged in mid-September 2026 suggesting Sweeney may be moving toward marriage with music executive Scooter Braun, whom she has been linked to since early 2026. One industry source described Braun’s tendency to want to “market everything,” a characterization that, if accurate, would extend the same commercial dynamic into her personal life. Neither Sweeney nor Braun has publicly confirmed the relationship or any marriage plans.
Personal Life
Sweeney was in a long-term relationship with Chicago-based businessman Jonathan Davino, whom she began dating in 2018 and became engaged to in 2022. The couple ended their engagement in early 2025, reportedly citing the pressures of professional collaboration alongside Sweeney’s expanding career. She has since been linked in reports to music executive Scooter Braun, though she has not publicly confirmed the relationship.
Net Worth
Public estimates of Sweeney’s net worth vary significantly by source, ranging from roughly $10 million to $40 million as of 2026, with Celebrity Net Worth citing the higher figure. There is no independently verified total, and Sweeney has not disclosed a personal net worth; her income is reported to come from acting fees, producing, and brand endorsement deals.
Social Media Stats
| X (Twitter) | IMDb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Verified | Not publicly verified | Not publicly verified | IMDb |
| Approx. 25.7 million followers (as of September 14, 2026) | Not publicly verified | Not publicly verified | IMDb profile |
Social media figures are approximate and may change. Sweeney’s follower count has recently declined amid backlash to a September 2026 ad campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Sydney Sweeney lose Instagram followers?
Sweeney lost over 200,000 Instagram followers in mid-September 2026 following backlash to a nude advertising campaign for sports-prediction platform Novig, which critics said sexualized women’s sport.
Is Sydney Sweeney dating Scooter Braun?
The two have been reported to be romantically involved since early 2026, with some reports in September 2026 suggesting marriage plans, though neither has publicly confirmed the relationship.
Why was Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversial?
Her 2025 “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign drew criticism over wordplay between “genes” and “jeans” that some viewers said carried eugenics-adjacent undertones, sparking widespread debate despite reportedly boosting the brand’s stock.
What is Sydney Sweeney’s net worth?
Estimates vary widely, from roughly $10 million to $40 million as of 2026, depending on the source. No independently verified figure exists.
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