After breaking the internet with her “good jeans” ads for American Eagle over the summer, Sydney Sweeney finally broke her silence about all the attention the campaign received.
In an interview with GQ magazine, the Euphoria star was asked to comment on the viral sensation and the Q&A is now going viral in its own right because of what she said – and wouldn’t say – in response.
Megyn was in Jacksonville, Florida, Thursday night for the latest stop on her Megyn Kelly Live tour, and she was joined by The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, and Andrew Klavan to discuss Sweeney’s mic drop moment.
Sweeney’s Poise
Sweeney graced the cover of the latest issue of GQ, and she spoke about the American Eagle controversy for the first time in an interview with GQ features director Katherine Stoeffel that was released in both print and video form.
“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person,” Sweeney told the publication. “I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”
When the reporter asked Sweeney directly if she “was surprised by the reaction” to the ad, she responded: “I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.”
Stoeffel tried to get the actress to weigh in on President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s praise of the campaign, but she answered with a simple “it was surreal.” The reporter tried again, suggesting “it would be totally human to feel… thankful that somebody had my back in public, and conveniently some very powerful people.” And Sweeney kept her cool once more.
“It’s not that I didn’t have that feeling, but I wasn’t thinking of it like that, of any of it. I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day,” she shared. “I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn’t really see a lot of it.”
Still searching for a headline-making quote, Stoeffel asked Sweeney about the left’s criticism of the ad. “Is there something that you want to say about the ad itself,” she asked. “The criticism of the content was basically that, maybe specifically in this political climate, white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority.”
Seemingly unfazed by the line of inquiry, Sweeney offered the following mic drop: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear?”
Three Cheers
Sweeney’s answer has been cheered online. Megyn said the 28 year old handled it “like a boss,” which made it an “extraordinary moment” to watch. “What a thing to hold your own and say, ‘No, I won’t be making news for you today on that,'” she noted.
Knowles joked he is endorsing a Vance-Sweeney ticket for 2028 because they would offer “the greatest message discipline in the Republican Party,” and Shapiro said the actress’ deft handling shows she was well aware of what Stoeffel was trying to accomplish.
“She understands the game, which is that the lady is after clicks,” he explained. “If she comments in any way, it will make huge headlines. So, she’s like, ‘No gas for the car.’ And now where are you going to go? It was smart.”
The Vibe Shift
On the heels of Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence admitting that she is no longer going talk about politics because it is detrimental to her career to alienate half the country (as she did when she bashed Trump throughout his first term and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024), Megyn said it feels like a sea change in Hollywood and culture more broadly.
Klavan agreed it is a sign of the times. “Hollywood is out of work. When I say that, I mean they’re all out of work. You could make a movie about white supremacy and they would show up because they are out of work,” he quipped. “The business has shut down. Only the Christian people are making movies; a couple of movie stars can still make movies; but the business has closed.”
“All of that is kind of just coming apart at the seams,” he concluded. “And it’s kind of delightful.”
You can check out the full ‘Megyn Kelly Live’ show from Jacksonville, Florida on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch Megyn live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.