Sydney Sweeney Faces Backlash After Unauthorized Hollywood Sign Bra Stunt

Sydney Sweeney has landed in hot water after sneaking up to the Hollywood sign late at night and covering it in bras as part of a marketing stunt, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The late-night operation was meant to promote a new women’s underwear brand. Sweeney shared a video of the stunt on Instagram on Monday, showing herself and a small crew loading a van with bras before driving into the Hollywood Hills. In the footage, the group strings the bras together and drapes them across the famous letters overlooking Los Angeles.

But the move was done without permission.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which owns the intellectual property rights to the Hollywood sign, said the stunt was not authorized. The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit that manages and maintains the landmark, also said it had no prior knowledge of the promotion.

“Anyone intending to use and/or access the Hollywood Sign for commercial purposes must obtain a license or permission from the Hollywood Chamber to do so,” Steve Nissen, chief of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to the LA Times. He added that the production involving Sweeney was carried out without approval or advance notice.

The Los Angeles Police Department told the newspaper that, as of now, no police report for trespassing has been filed.

This isn’t the first time Sweeney has been caught up in controversy over an advertising campaign. In November 2025, the Euphoria star fronted an American Eagle jeans ad with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” a play on the phrase “great genes.” The campaign sparked heavy backlash online, with critics accusing the brand of promoting harmful ideas about race and genetics.

In a later interview with GQ, Sweeney addressed the criticism, saying she didn’t feel the need to justify her involvement in the ad.

“I know who I am. I know what I value,” she said. “I know that I’m a kind person. 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.”

For now, it remains unclear whether Sweeney’s Hollywood sign stunt will lead to any formal action—but it has already reignited debate about celebrity marketing, public landmarks, and where promotion crosses the line.