Dr. Phil McGraw addressed the controversy over Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign during a recent sit-down on Real Time with Bill Maher.
The longtime TV personality blasted the backlash, calling out those who compared the denim ad to historical tragedies and labeling the criticism completely out of line.
The conversation kicked off when Bill Maher brought up the outrage surrounding Sydney Sweeney, pointing out how fast it spiraled. “Sydney Sweeney came out as—not came out—she was exposed as a Republican,” Maher said. “And she has the big jeans ad that was controversial. And they reported this like it was a scandal… It is not a slur that someone is a Republican.”
Dr. Phil agreed with Maher’s take but went even further in condemning the backlash.
“For people to go crazy over that ad [that says] ‘she’s got good genes,’ and for them to say that’s the equivalent of the Holocaust, is an absolute insult,” he said. “Six million people were killed. Six million Jews were massacred and murdered, and they equate that to a blue jeans ad for a Hollywood actress? What an insult.”
Calling the criticism overblown, McGraw added: “That is ridiculous. I’m gonna go out and buy those jeans for every woman in my family, everybody I know just to show support.”
Maher quipped back, “That’s a little creepy,” but Dr. Phil doubled down: “You should go buy 10 pairs of those jeans and just throw them out the window to everybody you know. Do everything you can to support that company and not let them get cancelled because of that ad.”
The controversy centers on the campaign’s wordplay between “jeans” and “genes.” Critics argued the ad leaned into racial and political undertones, with some calling it a “dog whistle” that evoked imagery of blonde hair and blue eyes tied to purity politics.
