Ted Cruz defends Sydney Sweeney amid American Eagle denim campaign controversy
Sen. Ted Cruz has come to the defense of Sydney Sweeney and her new American Eagle ad campaign, which has divided the internet in recent days, with some likening it to Nazi propaganda.
The Republican senator wagged his finger at the woke community, chastising their outrage in a social media post that also included an image of a topless Sweeney in the American Eagle jeans at the center of the controversial ad.
“Wow,” Cruz wrote on X. “Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well.”
Cruz is apparently referencing the backlash sparked by 27-year-old Sweeney’s campaign, made up a slew of sexy clips and photos of the actress sporting American Eagle Denim. It’s been accused of containing racial undertones given it’s tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” is an obvious play on words, suggesting the actress — who has blonde hair and blue eyes — has “great genes.”
In one video, Sweeney can be seen sporting a denim jacket and lounging while she zips up a pair of blue jeans.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” she says. “My jeans are blue.”
Some social media users were quick to bash the brand for promoting eugenics and white supremacy, while others, like Cruz, took to Sweeney’s defense.
“Thirsty Ted will defend Sydney Sweeney but won’t defend his own wife against Trump’s smears,” Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell responded, a seeming reference to Trump’s comments about Cruz’s wife Heidi during the 2016 election. “I’m sure that will poll well at home!”
Others online referenced a 2017 scandal that saw Cruz “like” an explicit porn video from the account @SexuallPosts.
“There’s literally no reason for you to comment on this story,” another person wrote to Cruz.
Neither Sweeney, nor American Eagle have commented on the controversy.
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Hulk Hogan’s estranged daughter Brooke asked to be removed from will
Brooke Hogan requested to be removed from estranged dad Hulk’s will, due to disagreements with those in the wrestling icon’s circle.
Insiders close to the 37-year-old “Hogan Knows Best” alum told TMZ Tuesday evening that she made the request in 2023, which was also the last time she spoke with her father, born Terry Gene Bollea, and just ahead of his wedding to third wife Sky Daily that September.
Despite the move, Brooke is still among the beneficiaries of Hulk’s life insurance trust, her portion of which she intends to put toward her infant twins’ college funds.
Also Tuesday, Brooke broke her silence on Hulk’s death last Thursday, amid their long-standing estrangement. He was 71.
“My dad’s blood runs (through) my veins. His eyes shine through my children. And our bond has never broken, not even in his final moments,” wrote Brooke. “We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes. I am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens. We shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together.”
Brooke also cleared up what led to their long-held period without contact, noting they “never had a ‘big fight,'” but “respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll” after she and husband Steven Oleksy moved to Florida to be near Hulk.
“He was getting older. I wanted to be there as much as possible. We had been (through) almost 25 surgeries together, and then all of a sudden he didn’t want me at surgeries. … I felt a disconnect,” recalled Brooke, who welcomed her own kids not too long after.
Unbeknownst to her, Oleksy kept in contact with Hulk “trying to find a safe way back in for me.
“I know in my heart I did everything I could,” continued Brooke, whose daughter reportedly shares her grandfather’s middle name. “He knows how deeply, how hard and how purely I loved him. I am at peace knowing this.”
The Hogan family feud made headlines earlier this year, particularly when Brooke’s mom Linda posted a tearful video about Brooke going no-contact and accused her daughter of abuse. Both Brooke and her husband denied this.
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Former WWE boss Vince McMahon is cited for reckless driving in Connecticut crash
Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon is accused of causing a crash on a Connecticut highway that wrecked his Bentley and damaged two other cars, a few hours before Hulk Hogan's death hit the news and he was quoted praising the wrestling icon.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely after last Thursday morning's crash on the Merritt Parkway in Westport, state police said in a report. No one was injured. He was released on a $500 bond and ordered to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Aug. 26.
Representatives for McMahon did not immediately return email messages on Wednesday. TMZ first reported the crash on Tuesday.
Photos taken by one of the people involved in the crash, Barbara Doran, showed heavy damage to the front end of McMahon's 2024 Bentley Continental GT Speed as it sat on a tow truck in Westport. The photos also showed rear-end damage to Doran's BMW 430.
The police report said McMahon was driving northbound on the parkway, also known as Route 15, when he rear-ended the BMW and crashed into wooden guardrail. A car traveling in the southbound lanes struck debris from the crash that flew over the guardrail, state police said.
There were no passengers in the cars and all three drivers were wearing their seat belts, police said. The air bags in McMahon's car deployed, the police report said. Doran said air bags in her BMW didn't.
Doran, of New York City, said she was driving in the right lane when McMahon crashed into her. She said the impact sent her car off the road.
“I was driving along in the right lane and suddenly, boom. I was hit from behind and catapulted forward and you can see the skid marks where I was trying desperately to keep on the road,” she said.
Doran said a state trooper told her the other driver was McMahon, whom she didn't know too much about. She said she and McMahon talked after the crash.
“He just, you know, expressed concern, was glad I was OK and all that. And I thanked him for his concern,” Doran, 72, said.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, last year, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
McMahon bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. Besides running the company with his wife, Linda, who is now the U.S. education secretary, he also performed at WWE events as himself.
From combined wire services