Actor Sydney Sweeney was not "authorized" to hang bras on the Hollywood sign during a late-night promotional stunt carried out to advertise a new women's underwear brand, according to officials who oversee the landmark.
Sweeney shared video of the stunt on Instagram, which was later reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The footage shows Sweeney and a small team loading a van with bras before driving into the Hollywood Hills at night. Near the sign, Sweeney is seen stringing the garments together and draping them over several of the large white letters.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees use of the Hollywood sign, said the stunt was done without permission. The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit organization responsible for managing and maintaining the site, also said it had no prior knowledge of the stunt, according to the Times.
"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, told the Times in a statement. "The production involving Sydney Sweeney and the Hollywood Sign, as reported by TMZ, was not authorized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor did we have prior knowledge of it."
The Los Angeles Police Department told the Times that no police report related to trespassing had been filed as of Monday, and no enforcement action had been taken.
The Hollywood sign is tightly regulated, with commercial or promotional activity requiring prior approval. Access to the area around the landmark is restricted.
The incident adds to a series of high-profile advertising campaigns involving Sweeney that have drawn public attention.
In November, the "Euphoria" star appeared in an American Eagle jeans campaign built around the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a play on the phrase "great genes."
The campaign prompted online discussion but gained national prominence after President Donald Trump endorsed the ads and Vice President JD Vance dismissed criticism as politically motivated.
Trump praised the American Eagle campaign after reporters shared with him that Sweeney was a registered Republican.
"Now I love her ad," Trump told the press in August on the runway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to the Independent.
Public records reviewed by The Guardian indicate that since June 2024, Sweeney, 27, has been registered as a Republican voter in Florida. Trump continued his remarks after reporters reiterated the details.
"Is that right? Is Sydney Sweeney?" he said. "You'd be surprised how many people are Republicans. That's one I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that."
He later added, "If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic."
Vance addressed the backlash during an appearance on the "Ruthless Podcast," criticizing Democrats and liberals who condemned the American Eagle ads.
"My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi," Vance said, according to the Daily Caller. "That appears to be their actual strategy."
Vance added: "It actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems, though, which is that you have a normal, All-American beautiful girl doing a normal jeans ad. They're trying to sell jeans to kids in America, and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing, and it's like, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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