Pop star Halsey lashed out at the media and fans after her film, Americana, was sucked into the whirlpool of controversy surrounding co-star Sydney Sweeney and her “great jeans.”
“I do agree that our words are important in this climate,” the “Closer” singer wrote in a quickly-deleted post to her Instagram Stories.
“I don’t, however, think that it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for their film that is completely separate from and unrelated to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.”
Americana, which began production in 2022, marks the singer’s big-screen debut. But its release landed as her co-star found herself at the center of a political media storm, which Halsey blames for the film’s lackluster reception.
“You should go see this movie. Because Tony Tost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately,” Halsey wrote in another now-deleted Instagram Story.
“Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24hr gossip tabloid denim bulls***.”
Americana, which was shot on a budget of $9 million, earned just $500,000 in its opening weekend, when it was playing in 1,100 theaters. The thriller also stars Paul Walter Hauser as an Army veteran in a small town descending into violent chaos as a stolen artifact enters the black market.
Halsey continued her tirade in another now-deleted post to X: “I’m not upset the film’s release is being hurt by the timing. I am upset that a bunch of non-celebrity people involved in this film are being bullied by the media.”
“I have said everything I am permitted to say about my feelings on the ad,” Halsey’s X post continued. “And if you’re a fan of mine and think I ‘support eugenics’ then idk what to say idk why you’re a fan then tbh…”
At the end of July, Sweeney was launched as the face of a new American Eagle jeans campaign. In one ad, the Euphoria star says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.” With a close-up on her blue eyes, she adds “My jeans are blue.”
The “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign—where the word “genes” has been crossed out and replaced with the word for clothing in some imagery—was slammed by some for promoting eugenics. Others defended the ads, claiming Sweeney’s popularity signifies a resurgence of conservative American beauty standards.
President Donald Trump, of course, entered the fray at the start of the month, writing on Truth Social that the “registered Republican” has “the hottest ad out there.”
Sweeney herself has said nothing publicly about the controversy and even appeared rattled in a recent interview with The Times. She has made no apologies about profiting from her own sexualized image, because “Everyone else is!” she told the U.K. paper.
Sweeney, an ambassador for fashion brands including Miu Miu, Armani Beauty, and the “patriotic” sneaker company Hey Dude, infamously sold soap made with her bathwater. That controversial move prompted actor and comedian Matt Rife to recently defend the star, describing her critics as “garbage losers who will twist anything.”
American Eagle defended their ad in a statement, saying that “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans.”
Halsey added in her deleted Instagram Stories post that: “If it’s not clear who the actual people I’m standing up for are, I’m sorry look closer.”
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