Maye Musk defends Sydney Sweeney amid controversy

Actress Sydney Sweeney has received unexpected support from model Maye Musk amid the ongoing controversy surrounding her recent advertising campaign for sports prediction platform Novig.

Maye Musk, the mother of entrepreneur Elon Musk, addressed the backlash during a recent interview with Fox News. The 78-year-old model said she was only partly aware of the controversy and had seen some of the discussion on X.

Despite the criticism, Maye praised Sweeney and described the actress as “fabulous” and “beautiful”. She also highlighted Sweeney’s sense of humour and defended her freedom to express herself through modelling and acting.

Maye said women should be able to “look sexy and have fun” while working in the entertainment and fashion industries.

The comments come as Sweeney continues to face criticism over the Novig campaign, which features the actress in revealing poses while holding sports equipment and appearing alongside a basketball.

The advertisement has drawn criticism from several people who have questioned the message it could send to young women and girls involved in sports.

A number of female athletes have also spoken publicly about the campaign. Among those who have criticised it are gymnast Gracie Kramer, Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus and British sprinter Amy Hunt.

The controversy has also reportedly affected Sweeney’s social media following, with reports claiming that she lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers amid the backlash.

Maye Musk’s comments have added another prominent voice to the discussion surrounding the campaign and Sweeney’s response to the criticism.

Meanwhile, Sweeney continues to work on several projects. She recently completed filming for Netflix’s live-action “Gundam” movie in July 2026. The film also stars Noah Centineo, Jason Isaacs and Michael Mando, while its release date has not yet been announced.