Sydney Sweeney is leaning into her MAGA Barbie image with her Euphoria character, Cassie.
The actress became a right-wing favorite after her controversial jeans ads drew criticism for their emphasis on her blond-haired, blue-eyed (jeans) genes, which activated Donald Trump, his officials, and Fox News to come to her defense, particularly after she was revealed to be registered to vote as a Republican.
Now that she’s returned to her breakout role in Euphoria, she gave her MAGA fans a nod, as the character revealed that she was anti-Democrat on Sunday—and used one of the right’s favorite slurs to make her point.
In the show’s latest episode, in keeping with Cassie’s OnlyFans storyline, the character embarks on a press tour to capitalize on her newfound internet fame. At one point, a podcaster tells Cassie that she “sounds like a Democrat,” to which she responds, “I’m not r-----ed.”
The ableist slur was one that MAGA podcasters celebrated their freedom to say after Trump was elected in 2024.
“The word ‘r----ded’ is back, and it’s one of the great culture victories that I think is spurred on, probably, by podcasts,” Joe Rogan said last April.
Sweeney’s character also regurgitates more manosphere talking points, saying in the montage of her press appearances, “If a man today were to say that he wants a girlfriend that could cook or clean, he might as well be screaming the N-word.” She adds, “American men have been treated like second-class citizens,” whereas, “In the past, men used to be hunters and gatherers and protectors. Now, they’re being forced to walk around on their tippy toes. It’s not natural!”
Instead, she says, “Men should be free, they should be able to speak their mind, voice their desires.”
Alexa Demie’s Maddy tells Cassie in the episode, “You know what’s funny? The angrier these idiots get, the more money you make.”
The character’s MAGA induction follows criticism for its depiction of sex work, as Cassie joins OnlyFans to afford her wedding to Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs. To create content for the site, Cassie dresses up as a dog and a baby.
OnlyFans creator Maitland Ward told Variety, “In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make pornographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money.”
Backlash also came from within MAGA, as conservative commentator Megyn Kelly also torched Sweeney for the portrayal. “The truth is, this is sexualizing infancy,” she said on her SiriusXM show. “She’s dressed as a baby. She’s in a baby’s outfit. She’s sucking on a binky pacifier, and her legs are completely spread,” Kelly added, describing a screengrab of Sweeney in character.
When asked for her thoughts on being nicknamed “MAGA Barbie” by social media users, Sweeney told Cosmopolitan, “I’ve never been here to talk about politics,” she said. “I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”
