Abbie Chatfield is cementing her status as Australia’s reigning Queen of Controversy.
The reality star-turned-podcaster has now turned her attention to Hollywood A-lister Sydney Sweeney, taking aim at the actress’s latest campaign with denim brand American Eagle, a rollout that’s already been causing a stir online.
The campaign features the tagline ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’, a play on words that some critics have interpreted as evoking far-right imagery.
While the phrase has been dismissed by others as a harmless pun, Chatfield used the moment to weigh in on Sweeney’s role and the broader cultural implications.
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad
“Sweeney is DEFINITELY at fault”
In an Instagram post on Monday, Chatfield did not hold back.
“People are quick to either absolve Sweeney of fault, saying she is merely talent and ‘didn’t write the script’, OR they are putting the entire blame on her. I don’t think either are true,” she wrote.
“But Sweeney is DEFINITELY at fault. They couldn’t do the shoot without her. If she didn’t agree with the way the ad was taken, she could have easily issued a statement by now. But as was made public yesterday, she is a registered Republican.”
The post quickly gained traction, with more than 5,000 likes.
Chatfield went on to say that advertising missteps like this are preventable, if companies ensure that more diverse voices are heard during the creative process.
“This could have been prevented if American Eagle had a progressive culture that encouraged critique of campaigns and listened to people who are not in positions of power.”
She added: “It shouldn’t be on POC (people of colour) to call these things out, and to risk their livelihoods to prevent racist campaigns like this, but unfortunately it often is.”
American Eagle defends the campaign
In response to the overall criticism, American Eagle issued a statement clarifying the intent behind the tagline.
“The phrase ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans,” the brand said.
“It’s about her jeans. Her story. We will continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, in their own way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
“Americans, when are you going to do it?”
This isn’t the first time Chatfield has found herself at the centre of a public firestorm, with an earlier controversy involving former US President Donald Trump drawing even more heated reactions.
In a TikTok video that quickly circulated online, Chatfield made thinly veiled comments referencing ‘incels’ and appeared to suggest violence against Trump, without naming him directly, but while miming a gun with her fingers.
The post was widely criticised, particularly in light of rising political violence in the US.
“Americans, when are you going to do it?” she asked in the clip. “Why is it not already done? Every day, there’s another [gun symbol] happening, right? Awful for your country, right? Awful, right? Why don’t we redirect this energy to something else, you know?”
Chatfield continued: “There’s all these incels, ‘no one wants to fk me,’ so they go and do [gun symbol]. You know what would actually make people respect you a little bit, and maybe want to fk you? Is if you did it.
You’d get heaps of fan mail. Oh my God. Oh my God. Just do it. Like, you’re all doing it every day anyway. Like, I don’t fking get it.”
Abbie Chatfield
Social media reaction and political context
The video was met with swift condemnation across platforms.
“This isn’t free speech,” wrote one user on X. “It’s not activism. It’s incitement – and at the very least, she should be detained and questioned by federal police.” Another commenter added, “This is the person who Albanese promotes.”
The reference was to Chatfield’s February podcast interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the lead-up to the last federal election, a moment that was praised at the time for engaging a younger audience, but has since become politically charged.
Abbie Chatfield
Abbie v Clementine
Chatfield also has beef with feminist activist Clementine Ford.
It all started with Ford’s sharp criticism of Chatfield’s political views, particularly her stance on Palestine, sparking a storm of social media posts and emotional responses.
In one post, Ford accused Chatfield of using social issues as a personal platform for self-promotion.
“Abbie Chatfield is first and foremost all about Abbie Chatfield,” Ford wrote on Threads, claiming that Chatfield’s political stances were more about promoting herself than genuinely supporting causes.
In another post, Ford doubled down on her criticism, saying, “No amount of fake crying to try to launder her complicity in doing PR for genocide supporters can change that.”
Chatfield then uploaded a tearful Instagram video accusing Ford of “dehumanising” her. In the post, Chatfield implored Ford to stop spreading harmful lies about her and her intentions.
“I get it enough from people on the right and trolls and men that hate me and want to threaten me and want me dead. Please stop dehumanising me,” Chatfield said through tears.
“Please, you can criticise my content you can criticise my work just I’m begging you to stop lying about my intentions. Stop saying that I have a personality disorder. You don’t know me. This is so f****ing triggering I just want her to stop.”
She went on to plead for Ford to stop using her posts about Gaza as a platform for more attacks.