Actress Sydney Sweeney – known for her roles in "Euphoria," "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," and "The Housemaid" – has found herself at the center of a frontal social media assault in recent hours, after she shared Wednesday with her 26 million Instagram followers a screenshot of a video call with her brother Trent (25), who is serving in the US military.
Although Sweeney did not disclose her brother's exact location – he has previously served in South Korea and at various other bases – the timing of the post ignited a wave of speculation and outrage among users who assumed he was taking part in the deployment of American forces in the war against Iran.
Sweeney (28) wrote in her story that receiving calls from her brother always fills her with joy while he is stationed on duty, and added, "Thinking about all our guys and girls overseas and sending my love. Thank you for your service." The family tribute, however, quickly became an arena for bitter political and ideological conflict.
Some of the criticism targeted the post's credibility, with users claiming it was a PR stunt based on false pretenses. "It's fake," one commenter wrote, with others adding that "those uniforms haven't been in use for many years."
Another user reinforced the conspiracy line, claiming the post was a fabrication because her brother was allegedly dying "for sadistic billionaires and Israel," and that Sweeney herself was nothing more than a pawn within the system.
The combination of Sweeney's identity as a Republican and her relationship with Jewish music producer Scooter Braun lay at the heart of the antisemitic and anti-establishment attacks in the comments.
One commenter wrote bluntly, "Her brother is going to die for Israel, while his sister is showing her chest to get likes from Nazis."
The discourse escalated into direct death wishes directed at Trent. One user wrote, "B**ch, damn your brother to hell – I hope he blows up," while another added, "May she receive her brother in a coffin – he's part of a child-killing machine."
The political criticism also targeted the country's political leadership, with one commenter claiming that "America is protecting Israel right now only because Bibi is blackmailing Trump."
Alongside the political dimension, voices mocking the class gap between the successful actress and her soldier brother were also heard, with some attempting to frame military service as degrading. "So she's a multi-millionaire and her brother is serving in the army like a poor loser?" one commenter wondered. Others added, "Why doesn't she give him money to start a business?" and "Not only is your sister an object of desire, she's also a millionaire – throwing your life away for Israel is just humiliating."
Amid the flood of hatred, a few voices attempted to redirect blame elsewhere, with one user writing, "Her heart is in the right place – too bad Trump's isn't."
Sweeney, who regularly faces criticism over her provocative roles and her personal wealth, has so far declined to respond to the attacks.
