Sydney Sweeney has a whirlwind years of ups and downs and now she’s finally speaking out about one of her most controversial moments of 2025: the infamous American Eagle jeans ad.

Sitting down to chat with People , The Housemaid star talked about it in greater depth than she has thus far, having realized that staying silent has “only widened the divide” rather than closing it.

The campaign was titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” playing on the word “genes,” and many felt that the ad had racially-charged undertones. It didn’t help when Donald Trump chimed in .

“I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels

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