NEWYou can now listen to articles!
Actress Sydney Sweeney is taking heat from one of her newest co-stars on HBO’s “Euphoria” over her latest ad for sports prediction platform Novig that leaves little to the imagination.
Speaking with People at Variety’s 2026 Power of Women: Los Angeles event on Wednesday, Sharon Stone, 68, critiqued Sweeney, 29, over her viral ad for the platform, suggesting the actress needs to “take responsibility” for her actions after the raunchy video sparked backlash from female athletes.
“I think that it’s up to her to take responsibility for her actions, not up to me to judge her for her actions. 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 told the outlet.
SYDNEY SWEENEY LEAVES LITTLE TO THE IMAGINATION IN PROVOCATIVE NEW CAMPAIGN
Sharon Stone speaks onstage at Variety Power of Women LA 2026 Presented by Lifetime held at The Beverly Hills Hotel on Sept. 23, 2026, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Variety via Getty Images)
“We can’t denigrate women’s sports to get men’s attention so they can gamble,” she continued.
The ad depicts a nearly nude Sweeney posing in various provocative positions while holding sports equipment, with the actress telling viewers the platform lets them to bet on “just sports.”
SYDNEY SWEENEY’S PROVOCATIVE SPORTS AD ‘REINFORCES THE IMAGE SHE HAS ALREADY BUILT’ DESPITE BACKLASH: EXPERT
Actress Sydney Sweeney poses nude in a promotional billboard ad for the sports-prediction market app Novig in Times Square, New York, on Sept. 16, 2026. Sweeney has received online backlash for the ads featuring her nude with strategically placed sporting equipment in Novig’s first national ad campaign. (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)
The controversial video struck a chord with Stone, who told the outlet that while in high school, she threatened to sue administrators if she was not permitted to try out for the boys’ golf team, because her school did not have girls’ sports teams at the time.
“I had something to prove,” Stone told PEOPLE, adding that she successfully “made the boys’ team.”
Stone is not the first celebrity to take issue with Sweeney’s willingness to bare it all for the sports prediction platform, with numerous female athletes also taking to social media to voice their displeasure with her decision.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ariarne Titmus wrote in a post on Instagram. “How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and sexualizing women’s sport is still a thing?”
SYDNEY SWEENEY FIRES BACK AT TROLLS AFTER FACING CRITICISM ONLINE FOR PROVOCATIVE SPORTS AD
Sharon Stone and Sydney Sweeney attend Variety’s 2025 Power of Women at The Beverly Hills Hotel on October 29, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty Images)
British sprinter Amy Hunt also weighed in on the controversy after finishing in fourth place in the 200 meters at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said. “Muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears.”
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SAYS WHAT OTHER GASLIGHTING FEMALE ATHLETES WON’T ABOUT THE NAKED SYDNEY SWEENEY AD
In response to the widespread backlash, Sweeney shared social media posts featuring nude ESPN magazine images of athletes, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki.
WATCH: Billy Bush defends Sydney Sweeney over controversial sports ad campaign
Digital reached out to Stone and Sweeney for comment.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The criticism of Sweeney’s steamy ad drew pushback from Newsbusters managing editor Curtis Houck, who told Digital the outspoken anger over the video could stem from a place of jealousy.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP
“If you’d listen to Sharon Stone, you’d think Sydney Sweeney committed a serious criminal offense resulting in jail time, not starring in a provocative sports betting ad. Give me a break,” Houck said. “This entire pile-on against Sweeney comes down to one thing: jealousy. Throw in her refusal to go along to get along with the woke left, and she’s persona non grata.”
Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
