# Sydney Sweeney's nude betting ad costs her 200k followers

> The Euphoria actress lost followers after appearing naked in a Novig sports betting commercial, sparking backlash from female athletes.
- Title: Sydney Sweeney's nude betting ad costs her 200k followers
- Summary: The Euphoria actress lost followers after appearing naked in a Novig sports betting commercial, sparking backlash from female athletes. High-profile…
- Keywords: sydney sweeney, novig, sports betting, instagram followers, backlash, women's sports, advertising, euphoria actress, social media, endorsement deal, news, entertainment
- Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/sports/sydney-sweeneys-naked-gambling-ad-is-coming-at-a-cost
- Published: 2026-09-16T12:32:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sydney sweeney, novig, sports betting, instagram followers, backlash, women's sports, advertising, euphoria actress, social media, endorsement deal, news, entertainment
## 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.
## Key takeaway

High-profile endorsements can backfire when they conflict with audience values, even when they generate massive engagement.