Sharon Stone Urges Sydney Sweeney to Take Responsibility for Novig Ad Backlash
Celebrity brand partnerships often attract criticism, especially when they intersect with gender or sports, and this year has been no different. What began as a simple advertising campaign quickly escalated into one of the most contentious pop culture discussions of the fall season.
Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the center of this controversy after starring in a campaign for the sports betting platform Novig, which faced backlash from female athletes and cultural commentators alike. Now, one of her co-stars is publicly addressing the fallout.
Sharon Stone, who appeared alongside Sweeney in the third and final season of ‘Euphoria,’ stated that her former castmate needs to “take responsibility” for the controversial Novig campaign, while emphasizing that she does not wish to personally judge the younger actress for her decisions.
In an interview with People at Variety’s 2026 Power of Women: Los Angeles event, Stone addressed the backlash head-on. “I think that it’s up to her to take responsibility for her actions, not up to me to judge her for her actions. It is up to me to be a cheerleader for the women who have made it through and become champions in women’s sports,” Stone remarked.
She further contextualized the issue by discussing how women’s athletics are represented in advertising. “We can’t denigrate women’s sports to get men’s attention so they can gamble,” she stated, framing her comments as a broader statement about industry responsibility rather than a personal attack.
The ad in question features Sweeney in provocative poses with sports equipment like footballs and goalie pads, while promoting the platform’s betting services. This campaign quickly attracted criticism from several female athletes, including sprinter Amy Hunt, gymnast Gracie Kramer, and Olympian Ariarne Titmus, who argued it trivialized women’s sports.
In response to the backlash, Sweeney defended herself by sharing social media posts featuring past ESPN magazine spreads of female athletes like Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey in similar revealing shoots, suggesting that the double standard applied to her was not entirely fair. Novig CEO Jacob Fotinsky also defended the campaign, asserting that the company is “hugely supportive of women’s sports” and that the ad was not meant to specifically portray female athletics.
This isn’t the first time Stone has commented on Sweeney’s choices. In a previous interview with Variety, Stone mentioned that during their time on ‘Euphoria,’ she had tried to persuade Sweeney’s character to abandon cam-girl work for a fictional series called ‘L.A. Nights.’ Although her character agreed to this shift on-screen, the real-world parallel did not hold, as evidenced by Sweeney’s lingerie line, Syrn, which Stone noted “didn’t take.”
This earlier comment adds context to Stone’s recent remarks, hinting at an ongoing, if amicable, tension regarding how the two actresses view image and public perception. Nevertheless, Stone has previously shown support for Sweeney, defending her during the backlash surrounding her American Eagle campaign by stating it’s “okay to use what mama gave you.”
The Novig controversy is just the latest in a series of headline-making moments for Sweeney, who has become a focal point for discussions around image, marketing, and female representation in recent years. From the American Eagle jeans controversy to stringing lingerie across the Hollywood sign, she has become accustomed to navigating public scrutiny.
Whether Sweeney will respond further to Stone’s comments remains uncertain, but this exchange adds another layer to what has become one of the most discussed advertising controversies of the year.
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