Sydney Sweeney says there were 'many misinterpretations' of MAGA party controversy

Sydney Sweeney is clarifying details about her mother's controversial 60th birthday party.

The Euphoria star became the subject of online vitriol last summer after she shared photos from the soirée that featured guests in what appeared to be Blue Lives Matter garb and MAGA-themed red hats that read, "Make Sixty Great Again." In a new interview with Variety conducted before the actors' strike, Sweeney said "there were so many misinterpretations" surrounding the photos.

"The people in the pictures weren't even my family," Sweeney said. "The people who brought the things that people were upset about were actually my mom's friends from L.A. who have kids that are walking outside in the Pride parade, and they thought it would be funny to wear because they were coming to Idaho."

She added, "People are so fast to build someone up, and then they love tearing them down."

On the topic of misconceptions, Sweeney also shut down rumors of turmoil on set of Euphoria season 2, which was further inflamed by an report that alleged a toxic work environment and chaos on set of series creator Sam Levinson's follow-up HBO drama The Idol. "You have me, you have Z, you have all of these very strongminded, independent women. If we didn't feel comfortable with something, or we saw something we didn't like, we'd all speak up," she said. "It's hard to see someone completely trashed by the public and the media when no one's actually there."

She continued, "The point is making people uncomfortable, and thinking outside the box. What else is the point of art? For me, I feel so free and confident now. And I've found that through Cassie."

Sweeney previously touched on the birthday party controversy in conversation with British GQ last year, noting that she felt that "nothing I say can help the conversation." She added, "It's been turning into a wildfire, and nothing I can say will take it back to the correct track."

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