If you’ve been waiting to see actresses Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney hit the road together to promote the Spring 2026 drop of “Euphoria” Season 3, you might not want to hold your breath. According to The Daily Mail, Zendaya is trying to distance herself from her costar who she once considered a friend based on her controversial political views.
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Sources added that after working together on the hit HBO teen drama for years, the two likely won’t be seen standing next to each other during press appearances.
The trouble started when Sweeney posed for an ad campaign for American Eagle over the summer that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Critics called out the ad, which featured the tagline ‘Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” with the word “genes” crossed out and replaced with “jeans,” for being racist, suggesting that the play on words was steeped in white supremacy. It also didn’t help that President Trump went on record saying that he “loved” the ad and that the “White Lotus” star registered to vote as a Republican in Florida before the 2024 Presidential election.
Sweeney didn’t respond to the backlash for months, but in a recent interview with GQ, she said the outrage was much ado about nothing, adding that she was unbothered by the whole thing, including President Donald Trump’s reaction.
“I did a jean ad,” she said. “I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans.”
For her part, Zendaya has been openly critical of the Trump administration. Back in 2017, she posted, “It’s not funny,” on X in response to former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggesting that President Trump was joking about comments he made that seemed to endorse police brutality.
As sources told The Daily Mail, Zendaya’s decision not to do press with Sweeney is intentional and meant to show that she’s not on board with her ad campaign or her support of the Trump administration.
“It’s no wonder she’s refusing to do it. It’s a difficult position for Zendaya to be in because if she even stands next to Sydney on the red carpet, it can be read as her excusing Sydney’s views on Trump and her refusal to apologize for the racist ad.”
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