Move over, Donald Trump. Sorry, Marjorie Taylor Greene. The American Right has a new blonde figurehead, and her name is Sydney Sweeney. The Euphoria actress made a much-heralded appearance as host on Saturday Night Live at the weekend, receiving mixed reviews from the critics but winning over an entirely new fanbase: conservatives on social media.
âWokeness is dead,â was the response of political scientist and writer Richard Hanania to a clip of Sweeneyâs appearance on SNL, while Right-wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong reacted to the same video by saying that âwokeness is finishedâ. The actressâs appeal has been ascribed to her being âthe first starlet in a long time to unrepentantly and cheerfully chase the male gazeâ, while viewers pointed out her sketch dressed as a waitress from the conservative-coded restaurant chain Hooters.
Assumptions about Sweeneyâs Right-wing politics follow an episode in 2022 when attendees at her motherâs birthday party were pictured in what appeared to be MAGA hats in support of Donald Trump. One of the actressâs most recent films is Anyone But You, a refrain no doubt shared by Democrats monitoring the contest for the Republican nomination.
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
Subscribe