No, Sydney Sweeney hasn’t donated $1,000,000 to ‘cure’ the LGBTQ+ community
Sydney Sweeney isn’t donating to “cure” the LGBTQ+ community. (JC Olivera/Getty)
Sydney Sweeney isn't donating to "cure" the LGBTQ+ community. (JC Olivera/Getty)
Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is the latest target of anti-LGBTQ+ fake news, after an viral Instagram post alleged that she donated money to “find a cure” for being queer.
The unsubstantiated claim states that the 28-year-old actor donated $1,000,000 to “advocacy groups”. This latest rumour comes just weeks after conspiracy theorists claimed she is secretly transgender.
It began with a post on Wednesday (28 January) that outlined the fake news, which subsequently went viral. At the time of writing, the post has over 95,400 likes.
However, the account’s bio reads: “This page features satire and parody stories that are exaggerated, developing fictional — created for entertainment purposes only.”
The post details: “The actress was widely praised for the seven-figure donation, which supporters called one of the most meaningful celebrity contributions in recent memory.
“Advocacy groups applauded the move, saying the money could significantly boost healthcare, education, and outreach programs.
“During a discussion tied to the donation, Sweeney allegedly said she hoped “they find a cure”.”
In the comments, one user noted: “It’s sad how many people think this is true.” Another wrote: “Obviously this isn’t real.”
A number of comments seem to believe the post, which also attracted a significant volume of anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. One person wrote: “They do need a cure… it is a sickness that needs real funding.” Another comment (which we reported to Meta) incited violence against the queer community: “There is a cure. Slugs and bullets.”
These sorts of posts, aiming for virality, are no rarity online. In fact, the Sydney Sweeney rumour is reminiscent of targeted posts about Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, claiming she was homophobic.
Outside of this fabricated ‘news’, Sweeney’s controversial comments have made headlines recently.
In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, Sweeney said she does not want to engage with claims that she is a “MAGA Barbie.”
She outlined: “I’ve never been here to talk about politics. I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of.
“And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”
She furthered that she’s “not a hateful person” but says there’s “no winning” when it comes to correcting MAGA claims.
“I can’t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for,” she also noted.
Sweeney became embroiled in controversy last year after her “great jeans” American Eagle ad was perceived to align with right-wing political views. Many claimed the ad made light of white supremacist and eugenicist rhetoric.
The Trump administration defended the ad, calling those outraged “moronic and dense”.
This wasn’t the first time Sweeney was roped into the right-wing political circle. In 2022, she shared images where her family members were wearing MAGA hats and “Blue Lives Matter” shirts.
Addressing the controversy, Sweeney tweeted: “You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my mom’s milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the attention. Please stop making assumptions.”
