Sydney Sweeney Loses 200K Instagram Followers Amid 'Kick in the Face' Novig Ad Backlash

Sydney Sweeney has haemorrhaged more than 200,000 Instagram followers in a matter of days after Olympic champions accused her of dealing women's sport a 'kick in the face'.

The 'Euphoria' star fronted a nude advertising campaign for the sports-prediction platform Novig, sparking condemnation from elite female athletes who say it reduces women in sport to sex objects.

Data from social-media analytics firm Social Blade shows the decline accelerated sharply over the weekend, while Sweeney and Novig have stood by the campaign and its messaging.

A Campaign That Sparked Immediate Fallout

Sweeney shared the Novig advert on Instagram on 9 September, where it has racked up 1.1 million likes. In the 60-second spot, she appears fully or partially nude, posing with footballs, basketballs, a soccer ball and a hockey net, with the equipment obscuring parts of her body.

Novig, which describes itself as a US sports prediction-market platform, announced Sweeney as a 'strategic partner and equity holder' on 9 September. The arrangement goes beyond a standard endorsement, giving Sweeney a direct financial interest in the platform.

Sweeney's follower count initially ticked upward by roughly 50,000 in the three days after the advert dropped. It then fell sharply, with Social Blade recording a loss of 136,848 followers on Sunday and another 68,000 on Monday, although the data does not establish why individual users unfollowed her.

Olympians and Elite Athletes Lead the Backlash

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus wrote on Instagram that she could not describe how infuriated she felt watching the advert. She went further, calling it a blow to every woman who has dedicated her career to sport, and questioned why sexualising women's athletics remains socially acceptable.

British sprinter Amy Hunt used her platform after finishing fourth in the 200 metres at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship to address Sweeney directly. She told cameras that muscles, hard work, sweat and tears are what women in sport actually look like.

American gymnast Gracie Kramer posted her own response video with a caption suggesting she was unsure what Sweeney was doing, but that it was not representative of women in sport.

British athlete Lucy Davis wrote that she did not understand Sweeney's choice and urged an end to sexualising women in sport, in a post that drew a like from actress Florence Pugh.

Australian boxer and WBC world champion Skye Nicolson said the backlash centred on the advert making a mockery of women athletes. She distinguished between looking confident while playing sport and using sex to sell it, while CNN reported that Australian skier Felicity Palmateer was among the many female athletes who criticised the campaign.

Not every reaction has been hostile, however, with some social-media users arguing that the criticism is misdirected. They contended that the advert promotes gambling rather than sport itself, and that Sweeney is being unfairly singled out.

Sweeney and Novig Stand by the Campaign

In a press release, Sweeney described the campaign as embracing a fun idea, saying it was designed to cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports, delivered with confidence, humour and a playful edge.

Novig chief executive Jacob Fortinsky added that the company's decision to dedicate itself solely to sports, rather than the broader prediction-markets category, has built a stronger product for fans, crediting Sweeney with bringing that message to life memorably.

Rather than retreat, Sweeney posted further photos and videos from the Novig shoot on Sunday, captioning the post with a reference to game day and tagging the brand.

She also posted a series of ESPN Body Issue covers to her Instagram Stories, featuring nude images of athletes including Serena and Venus Williams, Michael Phelps, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Kelce and Ronda Rousey.

Her posts appeared to draw a parallel between the magazine's celebrated athlete nudes and her own campaign. Critics noted that the Body Issue featured the athletes themselves, rather than an actress standing in for them.

A Pattern of Controversial Endorsements

The Novig backlash comes almost exactly a year after Sweeney's American Eagle 'great jeans' campaign, which was accused of echoing the language of eugenics through its play on 'genes' and 'jeans'. In 2024, she also appeared in a risqué Dr Squatch body-wash campaign that drew criticism for its overtly sexualised tone.

In 2025, Dr Squatch launched a limited-edition soap containing what it said was water from Sweeney's bath, another campaign that attracted attention and criticism.

Sweeney has increasingly leaned into ownership stakes rather than one-off endorsements, having also launched her own underwear label.

The Novig deal gives Sweeney a direct financial interest in the platform, meaning any sustained reputational fallout could have commercial as well as personal implications.

Whether the follower losses translate into lasting damage to her brand, or simply another news cycle she rides out as she has before, remains to be seen.