Amanda Seyfried Details Supporting Sydney Sweeney Amid Ad Controversy

Sydney Sweeney Explains Her "Silence" During American Eagle Ad Controversy

Amanda Seyfried wanted to show Sydney Sweeney some sweetness.

As the Housemaid actress recalled, she did her best to be there for her costar after Sweeney was caught up in controversy following her 2025 campaign for American Eagle jeans.

“I don’t talk to her about it unless she wants to talk about it,” Seyfried explained to British GQ in an interview published June 15. “I don’t want to be a source of anything, but whatever you need. You need some fun, you need to laugh, you need cake with me? That’s fine.”

At the same time, the 40-year-old knew it would likely be a difficult period for Sweeney as she dealt with both The Housemaid promotional tour and backlash over the American Eagle campaign, which critics accused of advocating for eugenics by using the double entendre of “good jeans” and “good genes.”

Seyfried recalled telling her, “‘We’ve got to promote this movie and I can be a safe space.’”

And despite the controversy, the two had “a great time on the press tour.”

“We worked really hard and she seemed to be having fun, but I also understood that probably it can’t be f--king easy, where she found herself,” Seyfried noted. “I have heard her stand up for herself, but I think she found herself between a rock and a hard place.”

Still, Seyfried was touched that Sweeney managed to remain so sweet and thoughtful during the situation, even making sure to celebrate Seyfried’s birthday.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate

“She brought me all these cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery,” the Mean Girls star remembered, “and gave me this most beautiful bracelet.”

As for Sweeney, the Euphoria star didn’t want to engage directly with the backlash.

“I did a jean ad,” she told GQ in November. “The reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.”

In fact, the 28-year-old said the conversation around the ads “didn’t affect” her, adding, “I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans.”

For more stars who have weathered their own controversies in the public eye, keep reading.

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