Sydney Sweeney Loses 200,000 Instagram Followers as Female Athletes Slam Nude Sports-Betting Ad

Sydney Sweeney’s latest ad campaign has cost her more than 200,000 Instagram followers, according to social media analytics firm Social Blade (via Variety).

In the commercial for the sports-betting website Novig, the actress appears nude, with her body solely obscured by football, basketball, tennis, and hockey equipment. Though Sweeney’s Instagram post sharing the ad has garnered more than 1.1 million likes, female athletes have expressed their concern over its sexualization of women in sports.

Per data from Social Blade, Sweeney’s Instagram followers increased by 50,000 in the three days after the ad was posted on Wednesday, September 9th. On Sunday, however, she lost 136,848 followers, with another 68,000 accounts unfollowing on Monday.

While losing 200,000 followers would greatly impact many Instagram accounts, that’s not the case for Sweeney. The number represents less than 1% of her 25.7 million followers.

Responding to the Novig ad, Ariarne Titmus, a retired four-time Olympic gold winner for Australia, wrote: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity. How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”

American gymnast Gracie Kramer shared an Instagram reel of her athletic feats with the caption, “dk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.”

“There’s so much more to women in sport than how they look. It’s about their strength, skill, dedication, resilience, confidence and everything they’re capable of achieving,” added Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo.

Another Australian, WBC World champion boxer Skye Nicolson, echoed these thoughts in an Instagram Story, explaining the backlash was about the ad making a “mockery” of women athletes: “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport.’ There is nothing wrong with looking good and doing sport and there’s nothing wrong with embracing your femininity while also being a badass athlete.”

In a statement on Novig’s website, Sweeney said, “The campaign was about embracing a fun idea. The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”

She also nodded to the controversy on her Instagram Stories by posting a series of covers from the ESPN Body Issue, featuring nude images of athletes including Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.

This latest controversy follows Sweeney’s participation in a 2025 American Eagle ad campaign, which was criticized for promoting eugenics in a backlash boosted by a vast network of right-wing accounts.

Months later, Sweeney said she was “surprised by the reaction,” adding that she was “against hate and divisiveness.”