Actor Sydney Sweeney is under fire by certain segments of the internet after photos from a family party appeared to show she has some MAGA-oriented relatives.
The controversy erupted after Sweeney posted photos from her mother's birthday party in her hometown of Spokane, Washington, a hoedown-themed bash at which one relative was seen wearing a "Blue Lives Matter" t-shirt.
Backlash was swift from some on the internet who criticized Sweeney for what they saw as her condoning bigotry by associating with family members who hold right-wing beliefs.
Sweeney was quick to clap back at her critics in a tweet, seen below, for making "assumptions" about her political beliefs on the basis of the party photos.
Sweeney wrote:
"You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions."
"Much love to everyone and Happy Birthday Mom!"
The furor began when Sweeney posted a carousel of photos from her mother's birthday which showed one man some believe to be Sweeney's father wearing a back the blue t-shirt.
It escalated further when Sweeney's brother posted photos showing other relatives in what at first glance appeared to be red MAGA hats like those sold by former Republican President Donald Trump.
However the message was "MAKE SIXTY GREAT AGAIN."
The hats were a reference to Sweeney's mother's 60th birthday.
But others were not convinced by the joke, pointing out most people would not find the hats funny unless they already supported Trump and the MAGA movement.
Others pointed to past social media posts by Sweeney's brother that are explicitly pro-Trump, citing them as evidence Sweeney comes from a family of Trump supporters.
Some fans were criticizing Sweeney and even demanding she answer for her family members' political beliefs.
A heated debate ensued on Twitter.
Others found the uproar—and the notion Sweeney would be responsible for anyone's political beliefs but her own—absurd.
More than 74,000,000 Americans voted for former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020 out of a total of roughly 158,000,000 people who voted.
So it's likely we all have someone in our lives who is MAGA-oriented, even if we don't know it.
Sweeney has not commented further on the situation beyond the tweet she posted.
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky