Sophie Cunningham Shares Hot Take on 'Inauthentic' Sydney Sweeney Ad

A-list actress Sydney Sweeney has been the talk of the pop culture sphere over the past week over an advertisement she did with Novig, which is a sports-focused prediction market.

The advertisement showed Sweeney not wearing any clothes and holding the balls of several different sports, emphasizing how Novig is all about sports.

Confirmed: Sydney Sweeney knows ball. pic.twitter.com/EXQ4PzVZsi
— Novig (@Novig) September 9, 2026

The advertisement has gotten a ton of backlash because it comes at a time where women's sports has been fighting (and largely succeeding) to be marketed abotu the actual athletic product and abiluty rather than appearance. And Sweeney's ad feels like regression in that regard.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is no stranger to creating controversy. She also met and shared a photo with Sweeney at a NASCAR event last year.

Cunningham shared her take on Sweeney's ad during an episode of her "No Hesitation" podcast that was released on Thursday.

"I have so many takes, but first of all, does she even gamble on sports? Like, it's just so inauthentic," Cunningham said when her co-host, Drew Hanlen, asked her about the Sweeney ad.. "Am I surprised [by] how she represented the brand? No. That's what she has made her whole career off [of].

"And hey, don't get me wrong: I like her... She sticks to her guns, and she does her thing, and she's her. So, props to her. Do I like that particular ad? Not really... But again, I'm not surprised. That's what she's known for, so she's going to do that. She's making her money. Go do your thing, sis," Cunningham continued.

She later added, "Now, here's my hot take... Why are girls mad? Like, that is literally what she does. Why is anyone mad? Like... of course that's going to draw attention. Again, do I agree with it? Morally, I think it's kind of weird, but like teach their own. Go do your thing, sis."

Cunningham continued by praising the other women in sports who are showing pride on their own athletic bodies, noting that it took her time to accept that she was a taller woman growing up, which is something she should take pride in.

"I can understand when you first see that ad that like it could kind of deflate women, because we've worked so hard to get a little bit of respect around here. But then when you really think about it, it's like screw it, let that girl go do her thing," Cunningham concluded.

Sophie Cunningham Deserves Credit for Staying Positive About Sydney Sweeney Ad

Cunningham could have put Sweeney down for taking part in the ad. Instead, while she admitted that it wasn't her cup of tea, she made it clear that she isn't holding it against Sweeney as a person, as this move is in line with other things Sweeney has done to this point in her career.

Plus, Cunningham took the time to speak about women in sports feeling good about their body image. She called it women, "embracing their power", and that's a great message for someone with Cunningham's platform to be spreading.

Cunningham has been known to stir the pot with some of her comments and actions. But she took an honorable course of action with this reaction.

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