‘Christy’ Star Sydney Sweeney Doubles Down With a Daring New Novig Ad After Weeks of Backlash

Sydney Sweeney has never been afraid of a little controversy. In 2025, her American Eagle campaign, built around a play on the words “jeans” and “genes,” sparked a heated online debate, with critics and defenders clashing for weeks.

This fall, the ‘Christy’ star found herself in the spotlight again. In September, she fronted a provocative campaign for Novig, posing nude for an ad that appeared on a billboard in New York’s Times Square on September 16.

That first ad drew fierce backlash from critics and female athletes. Many accused the campaign of sexualizing women in sports and reducing their connection to athletics to appearance alone.

Sweeney didn’t back down. She responded by sharing more stripped-down images from the campaign, and she later posted photos of famous athletes who had posed nude for ESPN’s Body Issue, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki.

No dictators. No market manipulation. No insider trading. No BS. Just sports. https://t.co/em4ioPMYiA

— Novig (@Novig) October 11, 2026

Now, Sweeney is doubling down. On Sunday, October 11, she shared a brand-new Novig commercial on Instagram, and this time she appears without a top. In the roughly 30-second video, Sweeney walks through a studio wearing white Novig-branded underwear while strategically covering herself with footballs.

At one point, she shrugs off the attention with a playful, “I mean, I’m flattered?” before wrapping up the spot with the line, “Novig is… just sports,” according to the official commercial.

The new ad leans into humor while addressing the earlier criticism head-on. Sweeney shared it with her 25.8 million Instagram followers alongside the tagline “Just sports.” The post quickly drew a wave of reactions. Many fans praised Sweeney for ignoring her critics, while others predicted the new ad would spark even more outrage.

Este es el anuncio que le ha costado a Sydney Sweeney 200.000 seguidores en dos días: Una campaña publicitaria protagonizada por la actriz y modelo Sydney Sweeney para la aplicación de apuestas deportivas Novig ha generado una fuerte polémica y, según los datos difundidos, https://t.co/8SiwrImfuG

— Roberto Lainez (@RobertoLai74153) September 17, 2026

One supporter joked that Sweeney seems to love being hated. Others simply celebrated the bold approach, saying she had their full attention. Some commentators have also defended her business strategy. Media personality Billy Bush called the campaign brilliant in a TV appearance, claiming she secured a stake in the company before the ads went viral.

The Novig campaign follows a familiar pattern for Sweeney. When the American Eagle ad drew criticism, she largely stayed quiet before eventually describing the debate as mostly noise.

That campaign also had vocal defenders who argued it was simply a playful promotion for jeans. The Novig ads appear to be taking a similar route, with Sweeney using each round of criticism as fuel for the next.

Sweeney’s connection to athletics goes beyond her ad work. She starred in the 2025 boxing drama ‘Christy’ and promoted the film at a NASCAR event, where she walked onstage during pre-race ceremonies.

Those projects helped position her as a star comfortable in sports spaces. The Novig campaign builds on that image, even if it continues to divide audiences. With her second ad already generating headlines, it’s clear Sweeney isn’t interested in softening her approach.

If anything, the backlash seems to have made the campaign even more visible. Whether the controversy ultimately helps or hurts her brand remains to be seen. For now, Sweeney is proving once again that she knows exactly how to keep people talking.

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