The backlash surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s latest commercial has been impossible to ignore, but the actress appears to have found a way to respond without typing a single word.
Days after her headline-making Novig campaign sparked criticism online, the actress quietly shared a series of images that many fans interpreted as a pointed message to those questioning her decision to appear nude in the ad.
Rather than address the controversy directly, Sydney Sweeney let her Instagram Stories do the talking.
On Sunday, the “Euphoria” actress uploaded a collection of images featuring some of the biggest names in sports who have previously posed nude or nearly nude for magazine shoots and promotional campaigns.
The athletes highlighted in her posts included Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki.
Sweeney’s roundup wasn’t limited to women. She also featured male athletes including Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce, all of whom have participated in revealing sports-themed photo shoots over the years.
The timing of the posts immediately caught attention because they arrived just days after criticism erupted over her new Novig advertisement.
Notably, the movie star never directly referenced the backlash. Instead, she paired the Stories with another clip from the commercial and promotional images from the campaign itself, allowing followers to draw their own conclusions about what she was trying to say.
Sweeney Says The Campaign Was About Sports, Not Shock Value
At the center of the debate is Novig’s new nationwide advertising push, which featured Sydney Sweeney as both a strategic partner and equity holder in the company.
As The Blast reported, the “Anyone But You” star appeared nude while posing with footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, hockey equipment, and other athletic gear. The ad repeatedly returned to one message: sports.
“The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” Sweeney said in a statement per Variety, adding, “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
The actress drove that point home throughout the ad. “Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports. So they wanted to show just sports,” Sweeney said while posing atop a basketball hoop.
The commercial then moved through a series of sports-themed scenes featuring football pads, baseball gear, hockey equipment, and billiards. At one point, she joked, “You can’t trade this. I just look good here,” while stretched across a pool table.
Sydney Sweeney’s Investment In Novig Helped Shape The Campaign
The 29-year-old’s involvement with Novig goes beyond appearing in commercials. She also owns an equity stake in the company, making her one of the most visible faces associated with the platform’s rollout.
Novig launched nationwide last month under a federally regulated framework and is restricted to users 21 and older. Unlike some prediction markets that allow wagers on politics, current events, and other topics, Novig focuses exclusively on sports outcomes.
That distinction reportedly played a major role in attracting Sweeney. According to Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky, Sweeney appreciated the platform’s narrow focus. Fortinsky recalled that the star expressed discomfort with prediction markets that ventured into highly personal territory.
“She said, ‘I’m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear,’” Fortinsky said per the Daily Mail. He added that Sweeney believed, “There’s something clean about sports.”
Sweeney’s Ability To Command Attention Was Part Of The Strategy
While critics focused on the nudity, Novig’s leadership openly acknowledged that Sydney Sweeney’s ability to dominate conversations was one reason she became such an important partner for the company.
Fortinsky praised the actress’s knack for generating attention and keeping audiences engaged, something the company clearly benefited from after the commercial’s release sparked widespread debate online.
“Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention,” Fortinsky said. The executive suggested that creating discussion around the campaign was never viewed as a negative outcome. “In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse,” he added.
Sydney Sweeney’s Bathwater Soap Ignited A Firestorm Before Novig
If the debate over Sweeney’s Novig campaign feels familiar, that’s because the “Christy” actress found herself at the center of a nearly identical controversy more than a year earlier.
Long before critics accused her of using sex appeal to sell a sports app, Sweeney sparked a social-media frenzy when she partnered with Dr. Squatch to release a limited-edition soap made with her actual bathwater.
The controversy erupted on May 29, 2025, when Sweeney and Dr. Squatch announced “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss.”
In a post that quickly went viral, the actress told fans, “You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad … so we kept it.” The company described it as “A very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater.”
The soap wasn’t just a joke product. Dr. Squatch revealed that the bar contained sand, pine bark extract, and what it described as “a touch of Sydney’s real bathwater.” Only 5,000 bars were produced, with 100 given away before the official launch. The product sold for $8 and was released on June 6, 2025.
Reaction online was immediate and divided. However, rather than back away from the criticism, Sweeney fully embraced the campaign.
“When your fans start asking for your bathwater, you can either ignore it, or turn it into a bar of Dr. Squatch soap,” she said in a press release for the product per PEOPLE. She added, “It’s weird in the best way, and I love that we created something that’s not just unforgettable, it actually smells incredible and delivers like every other Dr. Squatch product I love.”
What happened next only amplified the story. The soap sold out almost immediately, demand overwhelmed the launch, and bars began appearing on resale sites for dramatically inflated prices.
