Whether or not Sydney Sweeney deserved all the internet backlash she got for posting pictures from her mom’s 60th-birthday party – an event some of Sweeney’s relatives attended wearing MAGA hats and Blue Lives Matter T-shirts – is not a debate I have the emotional fortitude to wade into at this time.
Sweeney doesn’t really seem like she has the energy for this conversation either, but she did address the controversy in her recent GQ profile.
The hullabaloo all started when Sweeney uploaded a carousel of pics from her mother’s “hoedown”-themed birthday party, and some of the Euphoria actor’s followers noticed some telltale red caps in the background of one of the videos.
Social media backlash against Sweeney was swift and brutal, leading her to tweet: “You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone.”
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In her interview with GQ, Sweeney said, “Honestly, I feel like nothing I say can help the conversation. It’s been turning into a wildfire and nothing I can say will take it back to the correct track.”
She didn’t share any specifics about what the “correct track” would look like, but added, “I’ll see people say, ‘She needs to get media training.’ Why, do you want to see a robot? I don’t think there’s any winning.”
Unlike many of her quote-unquote nepo-baby costars, Sweeney grew up in what we would now describe as Trump Country, and now she says she feels caught between two very different worlds.
Referring to Euphoria characters, Sweeney said, “I come from a family of Cassies and [recovering drug addict in the show] Rues. Mostly Rues. I’ve never actually tried any drug, never drank, because I’ve seen my aunts, uncles, cousins and the effect not just on that person but the community surrounding them. It’s hard to watch someone want to destroy themselves. It’s hard when people judge people they don’t know.”
FWIW, Sydney Sweeney’s brother Trent said on Instagram that the offending red caps weren’t MAGA. They read, “Make Sixty Great Again.” So ya know. Perspective, I guess.
This story originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.