Sydney Sweeney posted a video on Instagram Monday, capturing herself climbing the Hollywood sign at night and draping it with a garland of bras before looking back at her work and smiling into the camera.
The stunt, which was first covered by TMZ, was reportedly in promotion of her lingerie line. A source previously quoted in Us Weekly said Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez had “invested” in the new project, while Puck reported that the label was backed by Ben Schwerin, a partner at private equity firm Coatue. Notably, Bezos and Michael Dell have invested $1 into the Coatue Innovation Fund, per Puck.
Following news of the promo video for Syrn, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce — which owns the intellectual property rights to the iconic sign — told the Los Angeles Times that Sweeney was not authorized to use the cultural landmark.
“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,” the chamber’s chief, Steve Nissen, told the Times in a statement. “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 chamber chief added that the organization “did not grant a license or permission of any kind to the production … nor did anyone seek a license or permission from the Chamber for that production.”
The Times said that while Sydney’s team did have a general permit to film in the area from FilmLA, filming at the sign requires additional clearance and payment of a licensing fee, as outlined on the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce website. A portion of proceeds from the licensing program are used to support the chamber’s efforts to maintain the Hollywood sign and preserve the city’s history.
A police report has not yet been filed, but the chamber told TMZ that it was “still investigating how and under what authority (if any) the Sweeney production accessed the site of the Sign.”
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This past summer, Sweeney was entangled in another brand controversy. The Christy star featured in American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ad, with the tagline reading to critics as a dog whistle for white supremacy, eugenics, and fascism in Trump‘s America, while some on the right — and even President Trump — applauded the ad.
After months of avoiding the subject, Sweeney addressed the denim drama in an interview with People, telling the outlet she “was honestly surprised by the reaction.” Sweeney added, “I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. … Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”
A rep for Sweeney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the recent promotional video.
