Sharon Stone has addressed the controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s recent sports betting advertisement, saying the actress should take responsibility for her actions. Stone, who appeared alongside Sweeney in the third season of Euphoria, was asked about the backlash at an event in Los Angeles.
Sweeney recently appeared nearly nude in a promotional campaign for sports betting platform Novig. In the advertisement, she covered herself with sports equipment while saying that the platform was “just for sport.” The campaign faced criticism from several members of the sporting community, with some accusing the advertisement of sexualizing and diminishing women’s sports.
Speaking to People, Stone said she was a supporter of women’s sports and did not want to personally judge Sweeney for her decision. “I think that it’s up to [Sweeney] to take responsibility for her actions, not up to me to judge her for her actions,” the Basic Instinct actress said.
“It is up to me to be a cheerleader for the women who have made it through and become champions in women’s sports.”
Stone also questioned the idea of using women’s sports to attract male attention and gambling interest. “We can’t denigrate women’s sports to get men’s attention so they can gamble,” she said.
The advertisement drew criticism from athletes including Olympic water polo player Tilly Kearns, boxer Skye Nicolson and swimming champion Ariarne Titmus. Sweeney later appeared to respond to the criticism by sharing magazine covers and advertising campaigns featuring athletes such as Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey in provocative or revealing poses.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky also defended the campaign, saying the company is “hugely supportive of women’s sports” and that the advertisement was not intended to portray female sports. The company said, “Sydney is an actress, the biggest movie star in the world. We’re a prediction market focused on sports. That is the story she was communicating.”
This is not the first time Stone has commented on controversy surrounding her Euphoria co star. Last year, she defended Sweeney following criticism of her American Eagle jeans campaign.
“It’s really okay to use every bit of hotness you have right here, right now and go for whatever that is,” Stone said at the time.
