Billy Bush defends Sydney Sweeney over controversial sports ad campaign
Feminist backlash erupts over Sydney Sweeney’s new sports betting commercial, but Billy Bush calls her marketing strategy ‘brilliant.’ Bush tells Jesse Watters that Sweeney secured equity in Novig before the ad gained forty million views. He compares the controversy to previous outrage over American Eagle and the ESPN Body Issue, noting that critics always eventually move on.
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Sydney Sweeney who?
On Wednesday, the actress took to social media to share a series of photos of herself frolicking around the Santa Monica pier in a brunette wig while enjoying an afternoon with her best friend.
“When ur bestie shows up and says ‘here put this wig on,'” Sweeney captioned the post, which featured a carousel of photos showing off her new look.
SYDNEY SWEENEY’S PROVOCATIVE SPORTS AD ‘REINFORCES THE IMAGE SHE HAS ALREADY BUILT’ DESPITE BACKLASH: EXPERT
Sydney Sweeney ditched her blonde hair for an incognito outing with friends at the Santa Monica pier. (Getty Images; Sydney Sweeny/Instagram)
“I didn’t even recognise her,” one user wrote on Instagram.
“I like this brunette version,” another added.
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The public outing comes amid ongoing backlash over her controversial Novig sports betting ads, which sparked fierce criticism from female athletes and critics who accused the company of sexualizing women in sports.
In the original ad, Sweeney appeared nearly nude while posing with sports equipment and telling viewers the platform was “just sports.” The campaign prompted criticism from Olympians and professional athletes, including swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who called it a “kick in the face” to women who have devoted their lives to sports.
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Sydney Sweeney released a new sports betting ad weeks after backlash for the original ad. (Getty Images for SCAD)
Gymnast Gracie Kramer accused the ad of marketing women’s sports “through the male gaze,” while British sprinter Amy Hunt said the campaign offered an inaccurate picture of what women in sports look like.
Sweeney later appeared to respond by sharing images of famous athletes, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki, who had posed nude for ESPN’s Body Issue.
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Sydney Sweeney has appeared unbothered by the backlash. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
On Sunday, Sweeney doubled down and ditched her top in a new commercial for Novig, wearing only white underwear while strategically covering herself with footballs.
“There are grown men making spreadsheets to bet on what color underwear I’m wearing,” Sweeney says in the ad posted on Instagram. “I mean, I’m flattered?”
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She then jokes about someone “betting their 401(k) on a war” before concluding, “Novig is … just sports.”