Overview
- GQ features director Katherine Stoeffel asked Sweeney to respond to criticism that white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority, and Sweeney replied, “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
- New video clips of the interview circulated Thursday and Friday, renewing attention to the July ad built on the “great jeans/genes” pun.
- Photographer Misan Harriman urged Sweeney to acknowledge harm to Black people, and White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood reacted with a vomiting emoji on Instagram.
- Right-leaning commentators and fans hailed Sweeney’s refusal to apologize as standing firm, while others accused her of brushing off racial concerns.
- Sweeney called President Donald Trump’s earlier praise of the ad “surreal” and reiterated that the spot was about jeans; reporting has noted American Eagle kept running the campaign and saw a commercial boost.