Sydney Sweeney’s Follower Count Rebounds After 200,000 Drop
The actress Sydney Sweeney's social media following has rebounded following a major drop off.
Sydney Sweeney's follower count has rebounded after a significant 200,000-follower drop following criticism of her recent Novig advertisement. The 29-year-old actress has been frequently involved in cultural wars, with previous ads drawing both praise and criticism from the American public. This latest ad featured mostly nude Sweeney, posing with various sports items and promoting Novig, a sports-focused prediction market founded in 2021 and valued at around $500 million.
Backlash to the ad was not immediate but grew slowly in the days following its release before exploding. Female athletes expressed outrage, with four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus stating she was "infuriated" and British sprinter Amy Hunt comparing the ad to a portrayal of women's sport as "muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears."
Social media backlash included videos with the tagline "I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney's new sport ad" alongside footage of women's sporting competitions, which garnered millions of views online.
Newsweek reviewed analytics data from Social Blade to track Sweeney's social media following fluctuations since the Novig ad's release. Over the past 14 days, Sweeney lost an average of 118,000 followers. The day the ad was released, September 9, she gained 2,218 followers, followed by 37,000 the next day. On September 11, she gained 9,637 followers, and on September 12, 3,989.
As backlash to the ad began to trend, she lost 136,848 followers on September 13 and an additional 66,446 on September 14, a combined loss of 203,294 followers in just 48 hours. As of the report on Wednesday morning, she has regained 102,936 followers in less than 48 hours over September 15 and 16.
Sweeney has emerged as one of the most talked-about stars of her generation, partly due to high-profile ads that have sparked public discourse, for better or worse. In July 2025, she faced backlash for a campaign with American Eagle, labeled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," which drew criticism over racism and eugenics. The backlash was so intense that the White House labeled it "cancel culture run amok."
Sweeney is a registered Republican Party member, suggesting a similar situation may be unfolding here. Nevertheless, despite the controversy, people cannot stop talking about her. Searches for her name overtook those for "Donald Trump" and "Iran war" over the past week, with "Sydney Sweeney sports ad" becoming the most searched term in the last seven days.
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