The Hooters restaurant chain responded after an SNL sketch titled "Hooters Waitress" featuring actor Sydney Sweeney became one of the most-watched videos on Saturday Night Live‘s official YouTube channel.
Sweeney, known for her appearances in the HBO shows Euphoria and the first season of White Lotus, was the guest host on the March 2 episode of the live comedy show.
Viewers could agree that the most memorable sketch from the evening portrayed Sweeney as a clumsy Hooters server who managed to rake in a ridiculous amount in tips.
You can watch the entire sketch here.
Hooters Waitress - SNL youtu.be
In case you didn't know, Hooters is known for hiring young women and outfitting them in tight orange shorts and low-cut v-necks to play up their sex appeal for patrons.
The eatery's name also figures into the gimmick with its double meaning. Hooters is a slang term for women's breasts and the Os in the restaurant's logo resemble the eyes of an owl, which apparently "hoots" to woo females.
The SNL writers knew exactly what they were doing when creating a sketch that capitalized on Sweeney's buxom features. After all, the 26-year-old isn't shy about her body. She was also game for joking about about her "boobs" in the opening monologue.
The confidence likely stems from her family. After watching her in Euphoria, in which she has done nude scenes, Sweeney's grandparents declared that their granddaughter had "the best t*ts in Hollywood."
In SNL's four-minute sketch, Sweeney brilliantly played the part of a stereotypical "dumb blonde" waitress whose looks are the only thing going for her as the male customers favor her over the other servers, including a hilarious Bowen Yang, who doesn't stand a chance with the jocular patrons.
As of this writing, "Hooters Waitress" racked up 2.6 million views on the channel.
In response to the viral fame of Sweeney's sketch, Hooters offered to donate to a charitable cause—under the condition Sweeney dons Hooters' signature uniform to work another shift.
The restaurant chain's X (formerly Twitter) account asked Sweeney:
" Sydney, if you work one more shift before hanging up your orange shorts, we’ll donate the day’s proceeds to The V Foundation for Cancer Research."
The account tagged the actor, SNL, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which "allocated over $353 million in grants for cancer research across the nation," according to its website.
Social media users encouraged Sweeney to rise to the occasion.
The V Foundation also endorsed Hooters' pitch.
Sydney, the ball is in your court!
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky
