Sydney Sweeney Loses Over 200,000 Followers After 4-Time Olympic Champion ‘Bashes’ Novig Ad

Sydney Sweeney has lost a significant number of followers amid the controversy over her Novig ad. Many fans have taken it upon themselves to hit the “unfollow” button on her page. According to the latest analysis report from Social Blade, three days after her ad for the controversial sports-betting platform came out, Sweeney’s followers increased by 50,000. However, a day later, she lost about 136,848 followers.

On September 14, her follower count went down by another 68,000. However, the numbers still represent only a very small percentage of her over 25 million followers on Instagram.

Sweeney, who has found herself in the middle of various controversies over the years, once again continues to stir the drama with her Novig ad.

Olympic Gold Medalist Ariarne Titmus Slams Sydney Sweeney’s Novig Ad

Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in Euphoria Season 3 | Credits: HBO

The Novig ad, which was released on September 9, triggered a negative reaction among many female athletes. They have shared concerns that the Euphoria actress’s provocative ad adds to the already existing sexualization of women in sports. Ariarne Titmus, an Australian swimmer who earned four Olympic gold medals, wrote on social media,

I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. … How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?

Several other female athletes, like Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer, British sprinter Amy Hunt, and Olympic water poloist Tilly Kearns, have heavily criticized Sweeney’s ad.

Why Sydney Sweeney’s Novig Ad Is Controversial

Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria | Credit: HBO

Sweeney shared a 60-second clip of the ad on her Instagram. The clip, which has garnered about 1.1 million likes so far, shows The Housemaid star appearing with almost no clothing as she posed with various sports equipment like basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, and a hockey net.

In the ad, she noted that the platform has “no betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports.” That’s a standard statement by such prediction platforms like Polymarket.

As the backlash continued, Sweeney took to Instagram to post a series of photos and videos from the ad. She also appeared to defend the ad by posing a series of ESPN Body Issue covers on her Instagram stories. The covers featured many naked athletes like Serena and Venus Williams, Michael Phelps, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Kelce, and Ronda Rousey, among others.

Speaking about the ad, the actress said last week (via The Hollywood Reporter), “The campaign was about embracing a fun idea. 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 Novig ad controversy comes one year after Sweeney sparked criticism with her American Eagle campaign.