After nearly a year, Amanda Seyfried weighed in on her The Housemaid co-star Sydney Sweeney’s controversy. The American Eagle jeans ad, featuring Sweeney, released last July, sparked massive backlash online. Seyfried, who was promoting their film during the peak of the controversy, has words of empathy.
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle controversy gets a response from Amanda Seyfried
During her recent interview with GQ magazine, Amanda Seyfried briefly spoke about the controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad from July 2025.
“We had a great time on the press tour,” Seyfried said about promoting The Housemaid during the backlash. “We worked really hard and she seemed to be having fun, but I also understood that probably it can’t be f—ing easy, where she found herself… I have heard her stand up for herself, but I think she found herself between a rock and a hard place.”
The Mean Girls actress then explained that she supported Sweeney not by discussing the controversy, but by sharing fun and laughter. Seyfried said she did not talk to the Immaculate actress about it unless the 28-year-old wanted to. It was mainly because she did not want to be a “source of anything.” She even praised the Anyone But You actress for surprising her with a birthday cake and gifting her the “most beautiful bracelet.”
Amid all of this, the 40-year-old actress said that she remained focused on promoting the film as well.
The controversy centered on a 2025 denim campaign by American Eagle featuring the Euphoria star. The campaign’s slogan, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” sparked major controversy. Many online users believed that it played on the similarity between the words “jeans” and “genes”. Critics felt the campaign could be interpreted as celebrating “good genes.” Others criticized the ads as relying on traditional beauty standards.
In response, Sweeney had defended the ad by clarifying that it was only about jeans, not genetics. “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,” she told GQ in a November 2025 interview.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.
