How Sydney Sweeney Lost The Culture War

How Sydney Sweeney Lost The Culture War

Aug 11, 2026

Sydney Sweeney just had one of the worst box office weekends of all time. Her new movie Christy, about a female boxer, made barely over $1 million, making it one of the worst-performing films of all time. This disastrous flop comes on the heels of yet another culture war controversy that she was at the center of, stemming from a viral GQ interview, and now she's locked in a bitter feud with Zendaya, her co-star on Euphoria, the HBO show that arguably skyrocketed her to stardom. All of this begs the question: can Sydney Sweeny survive leaning into becoming an avatar for the culture war? Why is viral moment now a referendum on politics? Is this the end for Sydney Sweeney? Kat Tenbarge joins me to discuss!