Sydney Sweeney’s Unauthorized Hollywood Sign Bra Stunt Sparks Outrage
By Zoe Papadakis | Tuesday, January 27, 2026
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, later reported by media outlets. 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, stated the stunt was done without permission. The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit organization responsible for managing and maintaining the site, also confirmed it had no prior knowledge of the stunt.
“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 media in a statement. “The production involving Sydney Sweeney and the Hollywood Sign was not authorized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor did we have prior knowledge of it.”
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed 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.
This incident follows 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 press in August on the runway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to reports.
Public records indicate that since June 2024, Sweeney has been registered as a Republican voter in Florida. Trump later stated, “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
Vance addressed 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.
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’ve managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing.”
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment.
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