Dawn Staley Denies Viral Rumors Linking Her to Criticism of Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad

In November 2025 a claim began circulating on social media that women’s basketball legend and collegiate coach Dawn Staley had publicly slammed the controversial American Eagle Outfitters ad starring Sydney Sweeney — calling the campaign a betrayal of “Black legacy,” asserting that “jeans were invented by us, for us,” and demanding the company apologize for casting a white actress over Black talent such as Angel Reese.

However — as of now — there is no evidence that Staley ever made those remarks or issued such a demand.

Dawn Staley publicly refutes the allegations

Staley addressed the rumors directly, calling the social-media post a fabrication. In her own words:

“Did you ever stop to think that was fabricated? … I’m sure you didn’t. Being from SC, I thought you of all people would know I didn’t say such a thing. Now you JUST keep falling for anything…”

She emphasized that she had never criticized Sweeney or the ad, and that the online “rage-bait” was simply spreading falsehoods.

The real controversy: Sydney Sweeney + American Eagle campaign

What is real is the debate surrounding the ad itself. In July 2025, American Eagle launched a campaign with Sydney Sweeney, using the slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The advertisement includes a video in which Sweeney says something like “Genes are passed down … my jeans are blue” — a pun on “genes/jeans.” Critics quickly condemned the word-play as tone-deaf at best and as promoting eugenicist ideas at worst, pointing out the model is a white, blonde, blue-eyed woman.

• Some viewers argued the slogan echoed “white-supremacist” beauty standards and elitist messages about “good genes.”

• Others defended the ad — and the brand. In its public statement, American Eagle said the campaign “was and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”

• According to media-analysis firm Cyabra, a significant share of the negative response was amplified by fake / inauthentic social-media profiles — raising questions about how much of the outrage was organic.

Sweeney herself addressed the controversy in a recent interview. She said she “kind of just put my phone away” when the backlash erupted, defending her decision as a “jean ad,” not a political or racial statement; she stated she didn’t feel the criticism affected her much.

Why the false Dawn Staley story caught so much attention

The rumor about Staley quickly spread because it tapped into a broader cultural debate around the ad — race, representation, “cancel culture,” and the power of social-media outrage. In a charged environment, a high-profile figure like Staley seemingly condemning the ad was irresistible to click-hungry accounts and polarization-seeking posts.

Once the allegation was publicly debunked by Staley, articles from reliable outlets confirmed she had never made the remarks — but, as often happens, many shares of the original claim remained uncorrected, letting the falsehood continue circulating.

What’s the takeaway

• There is no verified source — no interview, no quote from Staley, no credible news outlet — saying that she criticized Sweeney’s American Eagle ad.

• The narrative that Staley demanded a “national apology” from American Eagle is a hoax.

• The real controversy remains centered on the ad itself: whether the “jeans/genes” pun was a tone-deaf marketing stunt, a deliberate provocation, or simply a mis-interpreted pun — and whether the backlash was genuine or amplified by coordinated social-media manipulation.

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