Sydney Sweeney risks legal trouble over Hollywood sign stunt

Dubai: Sydney Sweeney is facing potential legal trouble after a promotional stunt at the Hollywood sign went unauthorised.

The actress posted a video to Instagram on Monday night showing herself and a small team loading a van with undergarments. Following this, they drove into the Hollywood Hills.

The footage shows Sweeney stringing together undergarments and hanging them over the iconic Hollywood sign letters. The guerrilla marketing campaign was promoting a new brand.

Sweeney only had permission from FilmLA to film the Hollywood sign. FilmLA issues permits for filming in public spaces across Los Angeles. However, their permit reportedly did not allow touching or climbing the structure itself.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the intellectual property rights to the landmark. They confirmed the late-night operation was not authorised.

The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit responsible for managing the sign, also had no knowledge of the stunt.

Steve Nissen, chief of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, released a statement to the LA Times. "Anyone intending to use and/or access the Hollywood Sign for commercial purposes must obtain a license or permission from the Hollywood Chamber to do so," he said.

He added that "the production involving Sydney Sweeney and the Hollywood Sign, as reported by TMZ, was not authorised by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, nor did we have prior knowledge of it."

Sweeney's actions could lead to legal consequences. Climbing the structure and decorating it with undergarments may constitute unauthorised entry and property damage.

A source from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said they are investigating how Sweeney and her production team accessed the structure. However, they have not confirmed whether legal action will be pursued.

This isn't the first time Sweeney has faced backlash over an advertisement.

In November 2025, the "Euphoria" star became the face of an American Eagle jeans campaign. The tagline read "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a play on the phrase 'great genes.'

The campaign sparked a social media firestorm. Critics accused American Eagle of glorifying the actress's white heritage through the genetic pun.

Sweeney addressed the controversy in a GQ cover story. She said she didn't feel the need to explain her participation in the ad.

"I've always believed that I'm not here to tell people what to think," she told the magazine.

For now, Sweeney hasn't publicly commented beyond the original Instagram post. Her representatives have not responded to requests for comment about the unauthorised nature of the stunt.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.