Sydney Sweeney shed light on the alleged facade of women empowerment in Hollywood after producer Carol Baum critiqued her looks and acting skills.
“This entire industry, all people say is ‘Women empowering other women,’” the 27-year-old actress told Vanity Fair in the magazine’s 2025 Hollywood Issue published Wednesday.
“None of it’s happening. All of it is fake and a front for all the other s–t that they say behind everyone’s back.”
Sweeney expressed that “it’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down,” adding, “especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard — hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have.”
The “Euphoria” star couldn’t pinpoint exactly why some women feel the need to bring each other down but referred to it as a “generational problem” stemming from the belief that “only one woman can be at the top.”
Sweeney gave several examples, saying, “There’s one woman who can get the man. There’s one woman who can be, I don’t know, anything.”
“So then all the others feel like they have to fight each other or take that one woman down instead of being like, ‘Let’s all lift each other up,’” she added.
The “White Lotus” star admitted she’s “still trying to figure it out” but in the meantime, she’s just trying her best.
“Why am I getting attacked?” Sweeney concluded her thoughtful message.
Earlier this year, Baum, who is a top producer in Hollywood, made headlines for bashing Sweeney following a showing of her 1988 film, “Dead Ringers,” at the Jacob Burns Center in New York, per the Daily Mail.
“I don’t get Sydney Sweeney,” the “Father of the Bride” producer said in April, explaining how she tried to watch Sweeney’s 2023 romcom “Anyone But You,” describing it as “unwatchable.”
Baum shared she once asked her University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts students about the hype surrounding Sweeney but “nobody had an answer.”
“I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?’” she recalled.
The “Madame Web” star’s rep, however, didn’t appear to take the comments lightly when reached out for a comment from Page Six.
“How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman,” the rep told us.
“If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum’s character.”
Days later, Baum told TMZ that she regrets publicly shaming Sweeney.
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