Sharon Stone urges Sydney Sweeney to take responsibility for provocative sports betting ad

Actress Sharon Stone said Sydney Sweeney should be held accountable for a recent advertisement promoting the Novig sports-prediction service, which she described as overly sexualized and detrimental to women’s sports. Stone made the comments during an interview at Variety’s 2026 Power of Women event in Los Angeles, stating, "It’s up to her to take responsibility for her actions, not up to me to judge her for her actions. It is up to me to be a cheerleader for the women who have made it through and become champions in women’s sports."

The ad features Sweeney in near-nude poses while holding sports equipment and promoting the platform’s betting options. Several female athletes expressed disapproval on social media, with Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus calling the monetization of a woman's body "infuriating" and British sprinter Amy Hunt emphasizing that women in sport are defined by effort and performance.

Sweeney responded by sharing historic images of athletes such as Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey, and Fox News Digital noted that the actress and Stone were not available for further comment. A media commentator suggested that the criticism might be motivated by personal bias, describing the backlash as a "pile-on" driven by jealousy.