The actress reportedly didn’t get the proper permission to climb the sign from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Sydney Sweeney climbs Hollywood sign to hang up bras for lingerie line promo, could face charges

The actress reportedly didn't get the proper permission to climb the sign from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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on January 26, 2026 4:25 p.m. ET

Sydney Sweeney on Jan. 10, 2026. Credit:

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Sydney Sweeney might be finding herself in hot water again, just as the backlash to her 2025 American Eagle campaign was dying down.

This time, Sweeney could be getting in trouble with the law rather than just dealing with public opinion. A trip to the Hollywood sign for promotion of her upcoming lingerie line could spell trouble for Sweeney due to a lack of proper approval, TMZ reported.

According to the outlet, the *Euphoria* star obtained a permit from FilmLA to shoot at the Hollywood sign, but she wasn't allowed to touch or climb it without prior approval from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which owns the sign.

But Sweeney did more than just touch the sign; footage obtained by TMZ shows the actress being filmed by her production team as she climbs her way to the top of the Hollywood sign's letters under the darkness of night. Once there, she and her crew hang up a clothesline of bras along the letters, with the actress laughing as she happily surveys her work.

Sydney Sweeney at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Housemaid' on Dec. 15, 2025.

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

The late-night adventure was reportedly filmed for the promotion of Sweeney's lingerie line. Last July, Puke News reported that the line is backed by the venture capital company, Coatue, which boasts investors that include newlyweds Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. The news does provide an explanation for those who wondered why *The Housemaid* star was among the numerous famous faces at the Bezos' three-day wedding in Venice that reportedly cost over $50 million.

Sweeney's cheeky promo didn't land well with Hollywood Chamber CEO Steve Nissen, who told ** in a statement that the production with Sweeney was "not authorized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor did we have prior knowledge of it."

"The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the intellectual property rights to the image of the Hollywood Sign, so that 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," Nissen continued. "The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce did not grant a license or permission of any kind to the production involving Sydney Sweeney, nor did anyone seek a license or permission from the Chamber for that production."

TMZ also obtained an email sent from the Hollywood Chamber to Persuasion Pictures, the company that worked with Sweeney to film the project. "Please be advised that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce owns the intellectual property rights to use of the image of the Hollywood Sign, and neither you nor the production company have sought or received permission to use the images for any commercial use," the email said, in part.

Sweeney could face criminal trespass and/or vandalism charges because of her role in the production, per TMZ.

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Representatives for Sweeney and FilmLA did not immediately respond when EW reached out for comment.

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Sweeney's latest gaffe comes a month after the *Anyone But You* star finally opened up about the controversy surrounding her "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" American Eagle campaign, months after it dropped on July 23 and sparked speculation on her political ideals.

Notably, it wasn't the first opportunity Sweeney had to address the controversy. Sweeney refused to comment on the campaign in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. "I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it," Sweeney told *Vanity Fair* at the time. "I'm not there to talk about jeans."

*GQ *also asked the actress to speak on the subject in November, and she simply responded by saying she was surprised by the backlash without wading into any ideological territory. She also rejected the opportunity to apologize for the ad or clarify her views in the same interview. "I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear," she said.

Sydney Sweeney; Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos.

JC Olivera/Variety via Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage

When speaking with PEOPLE in an interview published in December, Sweeney was markedly more contrite. "I was honestly surprised by the reaction," the actress, who was a registered Republican as of June 2024, said. "I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true."

Sweeney said she "leads with kindness" in her personal life and suggested that she no longer wishes to be affiliated with hate. "Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together," she said. "I'm against hate and divisiveness."

She continued, "In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press, but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."**

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