Sydney Sweeney turned the Hollywood Hills into her own after-hours runway, sneaking up to the iconic Hollywood sign in the dead of night and draping it in bras as part of a surprise marketing stunt.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the late-night operation was not approved by the authorities who control access to the landmark. Sweeney posted video of the escapade to Instagram on Monday night, showing herself and a small crew loading a van with lingerie before trekking into the hills and stringing bras across the towering white letters.
The famous Hollywood sign in the hills above Hollywood, California, on Jan. 10, 2025.
But the spectacle quickly drew scrutiny. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce — which controls the intellectual-property rights to the sign — said it had not authorized the promotion. The Hollywood Sign Trust, the nonprofit that manages the site, also reported that it had no prior knowledge of the stunt.
“Anyone intending to use and/or access the Hollywood Sign for commercial purposes must obtain a license or permission from the Hollywood Chamber to do so,” Steve Nissen, the chamber’s chief executive, told the Times. “The production involving Sydney Sweeney and the Hollywood Sign, as reported by TMZ, was not authorized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor did we have prior knowledge of it.”
The Los Angeles Police Department told the newspaper that, as of Monday night, no police report had yet been filed related to trespassing.
The bra-draped sign marks the latest advertising controversy to swirl around the Euphoria star. In November 2025, Sweeney fronted an American Eagle jeans campaign built around the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” a play on the phrase “great genes.” The slogan ignited backlash online, with critics accusing the brand of celebrating the actor’s whiteness.
Sweeney addressed the uproar in a GQ cover story, saying she did not feel compelled to justify her role in the campaign.
Nov 2, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; Actress Sydney Sweeney brings out the checkered flag prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think,” she said. “I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”
Now, with Hollywood’s most famous hillside briefly transformed into a lingerie line — and officials publicly distancing themselves from the stunt — Sweeney once again finds herself at the center of a spectacle that blends celebrity bravado, viral marketing, and a very visible brush with the rules.
