Actress Sydney Sweeney appeared to address criticism of her new sports betting advertisement by sharing a series of Instagram Stories featuring other celebrities, both male and female, who have posed nude. The posts on Sunday followed the release of her commercial for Novig, a sports predictions app, which debuted earlier in the week.
Sweeney, 29, posted a clip of her own commercial alongside promotional images where she is nude or partially clothed. Her Instagram Stories then showcased photos of athletes such as Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki, highlighting their skin in various magazine features. The selection also included male athletes like Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce who have also appeared nude in sports-related contexts.
The ad has drawn criticism from some social media users who expressed disgust and disappointment. One commenter wrote, "As a former athlete and a woman who has personally experienced sexualized comments, I’m genuinely disgusted and disappointed by this campaign." Another user suggested the ad was designed to be controversial, similar to past campaigns, stating, "It’s too bad she couldn’t do an ad like this with her clothes on. It’s meant to be controversial just like Brooke Shields years ago. That’s what sells. unfortunately." A third user commented, "This is sad at this point. Can’t sell or be a normal girl if she doesn’t use her body as a tool. Sexualizing sports like this is crazy."
Sweeney has not directly responded to these specific comments. However, Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky stated that Sweeney herself chose to appear nude for the campaign. According to Fortinsky, Sweeney was drawn to Novig because of its exclusive focus on sports predictions, contrasting it with other platforms that allow predictions on a wider range of topics. "She said, 'I'm uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear'," Fortinsky recalled. "There's something clean about sports."
Sweeney holds an equity stake in Novig. In the commercial, she appears naked, using sports equipment to cover herself. "Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports," she says in the ad. "So they wanted a show? Just sports." Later, wearing shoulder pads and a football, she adds, "You can trade this sport. And this sport. No betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports." The commercial's release comes amid reports that Sweeney's career decisions may be influenced by her boyfriend, music mogul Scooter Braun. According to Puck News, Braun played a role in Sweeney's recent decision to sign with CAA agent Kevin Huvane. Braun reportedly arranged a dinner between Sweeney and Huvane without informing her existing management, leading to her signing with CAA over other agents.
This career move coincided with Sweeney's split from her long-time public relations team, ImPRint PR, after a decade. Reports suggest that the PR team had grown frustrated with Sweeney not following their advice. Puck noted that when ImPRint aimed to position Sweeney as a more serious, awards-worthy actress, she attended Variety's Power of Women event in a sheer gown that emphasized her cleavage. It remains unclear if Braun, who has previously managed artists like Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, has any influence over Sweeney's current public relations strategy or wardrobe choices.