Sydney Sweeney wasn’t comfortable with people betting on her underwear, so she decided to get in bed with sports-only prediction market Novig — and then took them off for her latest viral ad.
And, according to the company’s CEO, it was the Euphoria actress’ idea, too.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, the CEO of Novig revealed that it was Sweeney who approached the company about working together, not the other way around.
“Sydney approached us,” Jacob Fortinsky told Daniel Roberts, the editor-in-chief of FOS. “She said the reason why she was excited about Novig is because we’re just sports.
“She said, ‘I’m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what colour underwear I’m going to wear.’
“There’s something clean about just sports.”
Fortinsky also said that Sweeney helped craft the message in the ad, which went live on social media Wednesday morning.
“I think Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the centre of attention,” he added. “In some sense, this forces us into the national discourse.”
To say that Sweeney captivated audiences with the racy ad would be underselling it.
The commercial features the Anyone But You star wearing little to no clothing, covering up with a wide variety of sports equipment.
“Think you know sports? Prove it,” Sweeney says in the ad while holding two footballs over her bare chest.
“Novig is just sports, so they wanted to show just sports,” she continues in the next shot while sitting naked atop a basketball hoop and spinning a ball on her finger, with her long blonde hair covering her breasts.
Sweeney is then shown provocatively posing with equipment from several other sports, including tennis, soccer, baseball and hockey goalie pads.
She also jokes while lying on a billiards table that “you can’t trade this, I just look good here.”
“No betting on wars, on deaths or on politics,” she adds while lying on a locker room bench and balancing a soccer ball on her feet. “Just you, good takes and sports.”
Novig describes itself as a “peer-to-peer sports prediction and trading app focused exclusively on sports outcomes rather than politics or pop culture.” That’s where it differs from competing prediction market sites like Polymarket and Kalshi. Such sites currently aren’t available in Canada.
Sweeney’s arrangement with the company is an equity deal, and Novig says that it is “very excited to have her on the cap table.”
What else has Sydney Sweeney done?
This is far from Sweeney’s first rodeo when it comes to media controversy.
Her “great jeans” ads for American Eagle drew widespread criticism, and she previously sold soap infused with her bathwater for Dr. Squatch.
The actress also recently attended the Armani beauty dinner alongside boyfriend Scooter Braun, going braless in a vintage gown from the designer’s 2000 Fall/Winter collection, according to People.
The gown’s fabric was sequined but sheer, showing off her nipples in certain lights.