Halsey Claps Back at Critics Blaming Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans Ad for Box Office Flop
Jaden Patel here, delivering the facts with all the enthusiasm of a person who just realized they left their phone in another room. And yet, somehow, this is still more dramatic than Halsey defending her film Americana after it barely cracked half a million dollars at the box office.
Let’s set the scene: Halsey and Sydney Sweeney star in a movie that flops harder than a salmon trying stand-up comedy. Meanwhile, Sydney is caught up in an American Eagle ad campaign that made people say things like “Wait… what?” when she said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.” Cue the internet descending into chaos, accusing the brand of eugenics because apparently, someone thought “jeans” and “genes” were interchangeable in a meaningful way. Spoiler: They’re not.
So, while the world was busy debating denim-based genetics, Halsey decided enough was enough. On her Instagram Stories—because nothing says gravitas like a 24-hour disappearing post—the singer clapped back at critics blaming the film’s failure on Sydney’s ad controversy.
“You should go see this movie,” she wrote, with the kind of conviction usually reserved for cult leaders or people trying to sell you essential oils. “Because Tony Tost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately. Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24-hr gossip tabloid denim bullsh–t.”
She continued, “He’s an incredible artist who made a great film with a group of hardworking, talented people. If you love cinema, then you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema.”
Now, we don’t make the rules, but if you have to explain that your movie is *cinema* in all caps, maybe it’s not exactly blowing minds at Sundance. Still, points for effort.
Tony Tost, the director making his feature debut, chimed in too, taking the high road with the weary resignation of someone who knows their film might be remembered less for its plot and more for being the thing that came out right after someone said “great jeans” on camera.
“One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). “As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I’ll be curious to see how it’ll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!”
And while Sydney has stayed quiet on the whole ordeal, American Eagle stepped in to clarify their intentions: “‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”
Well, there you have it. A film, a fashion faux pas, and a celebrity defense that could only happen in the strange, surreal world of modern Hollywood marketing.
So, if you’re looking for drama, bad wordplay, and zero self-awareness, look no further than this week’s edition of “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News
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