Sydney Sweeney has ignited a furious reaction after she was unveiled as the GQ’s Men of the Year issue cover star.
The Euphoria actress, 28, was revealed to be gracing the magazine’s latest front page on Tuesday morning, alongside an interview in which she unpacked the controversy surrounding her American Eagle commercial.
Announcing Sweeney as the next cover star, GQ said in its social media post: ‘Her powers as an actor are indisputable.
‘She’s captivated audiences and earned multiple Emmy nominations with her work on Euphoria and The White Lotus.
‘She’s also established herself as a powerhouse producer, most notably with 2023’s defiantly popular rom-com Anyone But You.
‘But in the summer of 2025, she became something else too: a market-and-politics-moving force of culture that Americans shouted past each other about. Throughout, she stayed mostly quiet.
‘Now, Sweeney is about to release the two most ambitious projects she’s made to date: the boxing biopic Christy and the campy erotic thriller The Housemaid. And she showed up to Chateau Marmont for an interview with GQ ready to talk.’
Response to Sweeney’s cover has been somewhat negative, however, with some complaining that they are ‘tired’ of seeing her ‘everywhere.’
Sydney Sweeney has been unveiled as the GQ’s Men of the Year issue cover star
The Euphoria actress, 28, sparked controversy last week after going braless at an awards ceremony in LA
Taking to the comments of GQ’s announcement, one begged: ‘I’m so tired of having Sydney Sweeney shoved down my throat, please anyone else.’
‘She’s the female form of Pedro Pascale,’ another wrote. ‘She’s everywhere.’
‘Nope,’ a third simply said.
Another yawned: ‘Way over hyped.’
In her interview, Sweeney spoke out about the controversial American Eagle campaign.
Over the summer, the actress starred in a viral advert for the brand’s jeans, which provoked a social media meltdown.
The commercial, titled Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans, showed the star buttoning up a set of denim trousers and offering a playful pun on the word ‘genes.’
‘Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color… my jeans are blue,’ she said.
Sweeney unpacked her controversial American Eagle jeans commercial in her cover interview with GQ
The campaign was met with controversy upon its launch in July, as social media users feverishly accused it of being racist and flirting with eugenics in light of its star’s blonde-haired, azure-eyed appearance.
Breaking her silence on the backlash for the first time, Sweeney told the publication: ‘I did a jean ad. I mean, 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.’
When asked her response to Donald Trump speaking about the ad, Sweeney described the moment as ‘surreal’.
‘I kind of just put my phone away,’ she continued.
‘I was filming every day. I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep.
‘So I didn’t really see a lot of it.’
The President wrote on Truth Social in August: ‘Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there. Go get ’em Sydney!’
