Nothing was off limits at the 2025 Emmy Awards.
Comedian Nate Bargatze, who hosted this year’s biggest night in TV, took a dig at Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad campaign before introducing the “Euphoria” star as a presenter on Sunday night.
“I have a blue jean tux on for some reason,” Bargatze, 46, said while dressed in an all-denim tuxedo. “Do we have like, a joke, there’s a cummerbund and I forgot what it… I don’t know.”
“Alright,” he added. “Please welcome two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney.”
Sweeney, meanwhile, walked out onto the Peacock Theater stage dressed in a strapless red satin gown.
She didn’t respond to Bargatze’s outfit – or his joke – and went on to present the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie to Owen Cooper, 15, who made history for his role in “Adolescence.”
Although viewers weren’t sure whether Bargatze had taken a dig at the “White Lotus” alum and her American Eagle ad campaign, one of the award ceremony’s producers later clarified that he did.
“Yes, that was his joke toward that,” Jesse Collins told Variety after the show.
The American Eagle controversy kicked off in July when Sweeney partnered with the brand for a new ad campaign with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
Critics, however, argued that the ad promoted eugenics due to the jeans/genes wordplay, and several fans called for a boycott of the popular clothing company.
American Eagle later doubled down on the idea, clarifying that the ad campaign was about nothing other than the product.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the retailer said in a statement to The Post last month. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
As for Sweeney, she has yet to address the ongoing drama surrounding the American Eagle ad initiative.
The 28-year-old actress shut down questions about the campaign while promoting her newest movie, “Christy,” ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.
“I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it, and I’m not there to talk about jeans,” she told Vanity Fair in an interview published on Sept. 4. “The movie’s about Christy, and that’s what I’ll be there to talk about.”
Insiders close to the “Anyone But You” star added that Sweeney was more focused on her current and upcoming projects than the American Eagle ad campaign backlash.
“Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” a source told Us Weekly. “She’s focusing her energy on work, including being back on set with her ‘Euphoria’ family.”
The Post has reached out to Sweeney’s reps for comment.
