Sophie Cunningham Exposes the Absurd Fury Over Sydney Sweeney’s Viral New Ad [WATCH]

After a full week of women athletes fuming over Sydney Sweeney’s naked gambling advertisement, Sophie Cunningham cut through the outrage with a far simpler view, as reported by Fox News.

The WNBA player questioned why anyone was surprised by either the campaign or its intended appeal.

Critics online attacked Sweeney after she appeared in the provocative sports betting campaign for Novig.

Some of the anger centered on the idea that the advertisement undermined the respect women have worked to build in sports.

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Cunningham was not buying the uproar. On her newly revamped “No Hesitation” podcast, she asked, “Why are girls mad?” before pointing directly to the obvious formula behind the campaign.

“That is literally what she does. Why is anyone mad? It is a gambling ad: men, sports, naked women. Of course, that’s going to draw attention,” Cunningham said.

She did not offer the campaign a total moral endorsement, but she also refused to turn it into a crisis for female athletes.

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“Do I agree with it? Morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but each to their own. Go do your thing, sis.”

Sophie Cunningham is confused at why people are mad at Sydney Sweeney for her revealing sports ad:

“Why are girls mad? That is literally what she does… Men, sports, naked women. Of course that’s gonna draw attention… Go do your thing sis.” pic.twitter.com/r8V4LYWsq4

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) September 18, 2026

That blunt response landed as another home run for Cunningham, who dismissed the drama without pretending the advertisement was something it was not.

Sweeney appeared nude, with sporting equipment strategically placed around her in Novig’s first national advertising campaign.

The actress also had a major role in developing the concept.

According to Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky, the campaign’s visuals and message largely came from Sweeney herself rather than being imposed on her by the company.

“It really was Sydney who was driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging,” Fortinsky said during a panel earlier in the week.

“We’re hugely supportive of women’s sports. I think it’s a huge component of our platform. We never intended to portray female sports.”

That distinction was central to Cunningham’s argument. The campaign used sports imagery, but its purpose was to promote gambling, not to present itself as a statement about women competing in sports.

Sweeney was also appealing to a specific audience.

 

Drew Hanlen, Cunningham’s new podcast partner, estimated that around 75% of sports bettors are men, though the article’s perspective suggested the figure could be closer to 90% or even 95%.

The advertisement therefore targeted the audience most likely to respond to its provocative imagery.

Cunningham acknowledged that female athletes could have an uncomfortable initial reaction, especially after working hard to gain respect.

“I can understand when you first see that ad that, like it could kind of deflate women, because it’s like we’ve worked so hard to get a little bit of respect around here,” Cunningham said.

She then separated that concern from what the campaign was actually trying to accomplish.

“But when you really think about it, it’s like, screw it, let that girl do her thing. This has nothing to do with us,” Cunningham continued.

Cunningham also celebrated the women who are demonstrating strength and athletic power to younger girls.

She did not see Sweeney’s campaign as an attack on those athletes or as an attempt to erase what they have accomplished.

“At the end of the day, I’m really loving seeing all these girls who are powerful, strong, showing young girls what it looks like to be an athlete. I don’t think the ad was coming for women in sports.”

Sweeney and Cunningham had previously appeared together before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on Nov. 2, 2025. Cunningham was the honorary pace car driver at the event.

Sweeney’s Novig billboard appeared in Times Square in New York on Sept. 16, 2026.

The resulting backlash may have been loud, but Cunningham’s verdict remained refreshingly uncomplicated: the advertisement was made to attract attention, and it had nothing to do with diminishing women’s sports.

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