Sydney Sweeney chose to pose completely naked for sports prediction platform Novig after becoming uncomfortable with online markets betting on her underwear.
The 28-year-old actress sparked widespread reaction this week after stripping down for what has been described as the most provocative commercial of her career. Sweeney, who is known for her role on the hit HBO drama series Euphoria, appeared without clothes in the promotional campaign for the sports platform.
According to Novig founder and chief executive officer Jacob Fortinsky, it was Sweeney herself who decided to pose nude for the advertisement. The actress was drawn to the platform because it focuses strictly on sports predictions, unlike competing prediction sites that allow users to place wagers on a wide range of non-sports events.
"She said, 'I'm uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear,'" Fortinsky recalled in an interview with sports business publication Front Office Sports. Sweeney reportedly added that "there's something clean about sports."
Equity Stake and Commercial Details
Sweeney holds an equity stake in Novig, making her involvement in the campaign a financial investment as well as a brand partnership. Novig operates as a peer-to-peer sports prediction marketplace where users trade positions on sporting outcomes.
Fortinsky explained that Sweeney's decision to create a major public talking point has brought significant visibility to the platform. "Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention," Fortinsky said. "In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse."
In the commercial, Sweeney gets completely naked and relies on a variety of sports equipment to strategically protect her modesty. "Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports," she says in the advertisement.
Sitting nude on a basketball hoop, she continues by telling viewers, "So they wanted a show? Just sports." In another scene, Sweeney wears only football shoulder pads while positioning a football over her nether regions. "You can trade this sport. And this sport," she says, before adding later, "No betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports."
Management Changes and Industry Moves
The launch of the commercial follows recent reports regarding major changes within Sweeney's professional management team. Media mogul Scooter Braun, who is her boyfriend, has reportedly become an influential presence in her career decisions.
According to industry publication Puck News, Braun played a key role in Sweeney's recent decision to sign with Hollywood power player Kevin Huvane at Creative Artists Agency, commonly known as CAA. CAA is one of the premier talent agencies in the entertainment industry, representing top film stars and directors.
Braun reportedly set Sweeney up for a private dinner with Huvane without the knowledge of her existing management team. The meeting led to Sweeney signing with Huvane, choosing him over rival agents who had been clamoring for a similar sit-down meeting with her.
Around the same time as her agency switch, the 28-year-old actress split from her longtime publicity team at ImPRint PR after a decade of representation. Reports indicate that both sides were happy to move on, with representatives at ImPRint growing frustrated that Sweeney was no longer listening to their advice.
Puck News noted that ImPRint had previously sent Sweeney to Variety's Power of Women event last year in an effort to get her taken more seriously as an awards-worthy actress. However, Sweeney arrived at the event wearing a sheer silver gown that highlighted her 32DD cleavage.
It remains unclear whether Braun, who previously managed high-profile music stars including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato, has any say in Sweeney's current public relations strategy or wardrobe choices. The Daily Mail contacted Braun, ImPRint, and Sweeney for comment at the time of the reports.
Career Trajectory and Public Profile
Sweeney previously attempted to enter the Oscar conversation last year with her role in the boxing biopic Christy. However, after the film bombed at the box office, she appears to have relied on her sex appeal to maintain public interest and headline coverage.
Her explicit scenes in the third season of Euphoria dominated the news cycle throughout April and May, drawing considerable media attention alongside A-list co-stars including Zendaya and Jacob Elordi.
In addition to her acting career, Sweeney doubled down on her sex symbol status by launching her own lingerie brand, Syrn, which she has promoted through a series of provocative pictorials and commercials.
The most recent advertisement for Syrn features Sweeney posing completely topless, prancing around in a G-string, crawling on all fours, and suggestively licking cream off her fingers. Most recently, she was spotted at the Venice Film Festival in Italy, wearing a sheer gown that left little to the imagination at a star-studded dinner for Armani Beauty. She also wore a sheer gown to an event in Los Angeles last October.
