Sweeney loses 200k followers over nude ad

The Euphoria actress shed over 200,000 Instagram followers after appearing fully nude in a Novig sports betting commercial, though she still has 25.8 million.

The ad went viral despite the drop

The 60-second video showed Sweeney posing with sports equipment like footballs and basketballs. By Wednesday it had 1.2 million likes and 2.8 million shares.

Athletes fired back hard

Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus called it a kick in the face to women who dedicated their lives to sports. Gymnast Gracie Kramer and sprinter Amy Hunt also criticized the ad.

“I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.”

Sweeney doubled down with more nudes

The actress responded by posting pictures of athletes posing nude for ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, suggesting nude photography is normal in sports media.

CEO says Sweeney drove the creative

Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky defended the ad, saying Sydney directed the visuals and messaging. She also became an equity partner with a financial stake in the campaign.

“It really was Sydney who's driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging.”

Novig claims it supports women's sports

The CEO said they never intended to portray female sports and that Sweeney is an actress promoting a prediction market, not women's athletics.

“We're a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that was the story she was communicating.”