Trending badgeTrendingPosted 57 minutes agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownSydney Sweeney Finally Broke Her Silence On The American Apparel ControversyHere's what she said.by Larry FitzmauriceBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink For a while, it seemed like Sydney Sweeney was determined not to directly address the firestorm of criticism around her now-infamous "good genes" ad for American Apparel. Aliah Anderson / WireImage The conversation around the controversial ad campaign, which some have accused of being aligned with or gesturing towards racial eugenics, has raged like a wildfire throughout the back half of 2025. Even the friggin' White House weighed in. Amy Sussman/GA / The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images Sydney's initial attempts to address the hubbub weren't very effective, either, and the whole situation likely contributed to the alleged backlash that she and Scooter Braun have felt towards their recent relationship. Eyepix Group / Eyepix Group/LightRocket via Getty Images Making matters worse was an interview that Sydney gave to GQ in which she essentially laughed off the ongoing controversy and became meme'd to eternity for her reaction to the questions themselves. (The revelation that she's a registered Republican didn't help, either.) Gotham / GC Images Well, it seems like all the backlash has finally gotten through to her, because in a recent interview with People the actor made her most definitive comments yet regarding the controversy - and, more importantly, what she actually stands for. Robert Kamau / GC Images In the interview, Sydney said she was "honestly surprised" by the overall reaction that the ad campaign drew. "I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand." Marleen Moise / Getty Images "I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign," she added. "Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true." Daniele Venturelli / Getty Images for Armani Beauty Sydney went on to describe herself as a person who "leads with kindness," adding, "Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together. I'm against hate and divisiveness." Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images "In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it." Penske Media / Penske Media via Getty Images "So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us." Taylor Hill / FilmMagic I mean, I think we can all agree on that, at least!