Actress Sydney Sweeney says she’s "not about politics," but that stance is only intensifying backlash online.
In a new Cosmopolitan interview published Jan. 29, 2026, Sweeney addressed the viral “MAGA Barbie” nickname that followed her American Eagle “great jeans” ad, insisting she’s only interested in making art, not engaging in political discourse.
Sweeney seemed to push back on contradictory narratives about her politics, or lack thereof. While she wants to be seen as a women's empowerment model and not a "hateful person," she also doesn't want to really get into it.
When the interviewer brought up the "MAGA Barbie" nickname and past refusal to speak on political topics, Sweeney said, "I'm in the arts."
"I’ve never been here to talk about politics," she said. "I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that."
Sweeney may have a different definition of "politics" than some, however. Near the beginning of the article, Cosmopolitan quotes her saying that she wants "to show women that we can take back our power and fully free ourselves."
Feminism is, in fact, a political movement.
This "rejection of politics" comes off as contradictory to those who remember her in The Handmaid's Tale. Some folks have taken her silence regarding politics as cover for her true leanings after her mother's 2022 birthday party, during which some partygoers wore hats reading "Make Sixty Great Again."
Speculation intensified after the 2025 American Eagle ad and its play on the word "genes."
The internet debates whether art can ever be neutral
On X, @BonerWizard responded with a shot from 30 Rock.
"That's Republican, we count those," said Jack McBrayer as NBC page Kenneth Parcell.
"Her new lingerie line received a billion dollar cash infusion from billionaires Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell but I’m sure it has nothing to do with Sydney’s politics and everything to do with her being an artist," joked @carolinekwan.
Popular account @buffys rejected Sweeney's statements as "the most privileged response of all time."
Others stressed their beliefs that separating art and politics is impossible.
Writer @kylietcheung panned "the concept of 'the arts' not being political…. she may be clinically stupid."
Commentary account @protagonist_xig agreed with screenshots from the 2020 film Enola Holmes, a work of art that delved into politics.
"Politics doesn't interest you. Why?" said Edith, played by Susie Wokoma. "Because you have no interest in changing a world that suits you so well."
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