‘The Housemaid’ Star Sydney Sweeney’s Star Power Is Exploding, New Reports Claim Someone Else Is Calling the Shots Behind the Scenes

Sydney Sweeney has reached a point in her career where almost everything she does becomes a story. One week, she is promoting a movie. The next, she is launching new lingerie, appearing in a major advertising campaign, or making headlines because of a controversial image. Now, with questions growing around her relationship with music executive Scooter Braun, some in Hollywood are asking whether someone else is helping shape her career. But others close to Sweeney argue that she has been making those decisions herself all along.

The debate has grown louder after Sweeney appeared in a provocative campaign for sports prediction company Novig. The campaign, which featured Sweeney posing with sports equipment while promoting the company, quickly spread online and drew criticism from several female athletes.

Former gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a video of herself competing and wrote, “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” International rugby player Sofie Fella also called the campaign “disrespectful” to women who have spent years trying to separate athletic achievement from appearance.

Sweeney did not simply disappear from the conversation. Instead, she responded by sharing images of famous female athletes who had also posed nude, including Serena Williams. The response was very much in line with the way Sweeney has handled controversy in recent years: keep the attention going rather than step away from it.

The Novig campaign also appears to have been more deliberate than some viewers may have realized. Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said Sweeney approached the company about an equity partnership and was heavily involved in the campaign’s creative direction. “It really was Sydney who was driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging,” he said.

That detail matters because Sweeney’s history of attention-grabbing campaigns goes back years. She previously worked with Dr. Squatch on a product tied to her bathwater, and her American Eagle campaign sparked another major online debate over its use of the words “jeans” and “genes.” Sweeney later told People that she was surprised by the reaction and said, “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”

Confirmed: Sydney Sweeney knows ball. pic.twitter.com/EXQ4PzVZsi

— Novig (@Novig) September 9, 2026

Her growing business interests also make the idea of Sweeney simply being controlled by someone else harder to explain. She launched her lingerie company, SYRN, as an owner rather than just a celebrity face. The company has backing from Coatue Management, which has received major funding from investors including Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell. Sweeney has also taken producer roles through her Fifty-Fifty Films banner, giving her more control over projects such as Christy, Anyone But You, and The Housemaid.

That career strategy has produced some impressive results. Anyone But You became a surprise worldwide hit, earning more than $210 million, while The Housemaid came close to $400 million globally. She is now preparing for The Housemaid’s Secret and has several other projects ahead, including an animated Netflix film, Gundam, and the upcoming adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country.

Still, the Scooter Braun connection has added another layer to the conversation. Page Six reported that Braun has helped with some of Sweeney’s business deals and that he became involved in the process of finding her new representation. She eventually signed with CAA, while Carrie Gordon at The Lede Company now represents her. The report also said WME chief Ari Emanuel allegedly advised Sweeney to distance herself from Braun, though Emanuel denied that claim.

Sydney Sweeney is starring in a new ad that is sparking controversy — this one by sports prediction platform Novig. The ad features a nude Sweeney, with sports equipment, like footballs, used as censors. Several female athletes have spoken out about the ad online, with many… pic.twitter.com/5y31T0n2vU

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 14, 2026

People close to Sweeney have pushed back against the idea that her career is being directed by Braun. One insider told Page Six that Sweeney has had the same trusted people around her for years and that “no one on her team is ‘shaken up.’”

Another source offered an even stronger defense of the actress, arguing that Sweeney has always been the person making the major choices. Writer Rachel Richardson told Page Six, “The idea that control over Sweeney’s image is masterminded by anyone but her is wild to me.”

That may be the most important part of the story. Sweeney has clearly learned how to turn attention into business, whether the reaction is positive or negative. The bigger challenge now may not be who controls her career, but whether she can keep that attention from becoming too much.

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