Even Stephen Colbert thinks the online uproar over Sydney Sweeney‘s American Eagle jeans ad is a bit much.
The Late Show host weighed in on the culture war controversy over the Euphoria star’s sultry ad which makes a play on words comparing the sex symbol’s “genes” with the word “jeans.” The ad has been slammed by some online as a Nazi-like pro-eugenics racist propaganda, while others have cheered the company and actress for refusing to apologize in the wake of social media outrage which many view a bad faith take on something that’s meant to be playful.
But here’s how Colbert — who recently learned his CBS series will come to end next year — seemed to find the matter rather silly when he laughingly weighed in Wednesday night (video below).
“I don’t want to alarm you, but the internet is mad about something,” Colbert said. “This time, it’s a commercial from American Eagle Outfitters starring Sydney Sweeney, take take a look.” Colbert plays the clip. “Just like Sydney Sweeney, I also carry the gene for sexy commercial scratchy voice. I get it from my uncle on my mother’s side … Now, some people look at this and they’re seeing something sinister, saying that the genes-jeans denim wordplay in an ad featuring a white blonde woman means American Eagle could be promoting eugenics, white supremacy and Nazi propaganda. That might be a bit of an overreaction — although Hitler did briefly model for Mein Kampfort Fit Jeans.” Colbert added: “How do you say ‘badonk’ in German?”
Some of Colbert’s fans pushed back on Instagram, writing messages like, “Is it overreaction to observe and point out propaganda in times like these?” and “If not a subtle message of White Supremacy, and Nazi Propaganda, then why only blonde hair blue eyes, and no other races were featured?” and “I don’t think it’s an overreaction. They knew exactly what they were doing when they made the commercial. So the blue eyed blonde has the best genes?”
The controversy has been compared to a rather similar sexy Calvin Klein ad from the 1980s featuring actress Brooke Shields when she was only 15. Shields told Vogue in 2021 that she found the backlash “ridiculous.”
In recent days, the White House also sounded off about the ad, with spokesman Steven Cheung sharing an MSNBC story with the headline “Sydney Sweeney’s ad shows an unbridled cultural shift towards whiteness” and wrote: “Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They’re tired of this bulls**t.”
Sydney