RadarOnline.com can reveal Sydney Sweeney’s breakneck pivot into hyper-curated luxury, splashy branding deals, and a billionaire romance has sparked mounting concern among her inner circle she is edging closer to Kardashian-style commodification than the serious acting career she insists she still wants.
Sweeney, 28, who moved to Los Angeles at 13 after presenting her parents with a detailed five-year plan to become an actor, has spent the past two years navigating simultaneous backlash and breakaway fame.
Brand Outshines the Work
Sweeney has shifted rapidly into luxury branding and high profile partnerships.
The Euphoria and The White Lotus star built her reputation on emotionally charged performances, yet industry insiders now tell us her increasingly glossy public persona, from viral fashion moments to heavily monetized partnerships, is reshaping how studios perceive her at a crucial moment in her career.
Those fears have intensified as she embraces a more expansive branding strategy, complete with three multimillion-dollar homes, growing commercial campaigns, and a highly publicized relationship with 44-year-old music executive Scooter Braun.
One senior PR strategist said: “There’s a sense she’s curating a lifestyle brand first and an acting career second. When the marketing outshines the work, people start asking what lane she really wants to be in.”
‘Doomed’ to End Up Like the Kardashians
Sweeney has bought multiple multimillion dollar homes to support her expanding brand.
Another source added: “She’s at risk of being packaged the way reality stars are – not for performance but for visibility. That’s the worry – her being doomed to end up like a one-woman Kardashian family, with only brand endorsements and romantic drama to earn her money.”
Sweeney’s political controversies continue to throw a dark shadow over her ascent.
Her family’s 2022 “Blue Lives Matter” celebration resurfaced voter-registration records showing her as a Republican, and the far-right’s appropriation of her controversial American Eagle campaign hardened perceptions among left-leaning executives already wary of her.
Will Doors ‘Begin to Close’ on Sweeney?
Her relationship with Scooter Braun has fueled more concern about her career direction.
One casting veteran said: “After all those incidents, people have quietly backed away. In this town, silence is an answer, and Sydney is now getting plenty of that when it comes to putting in for big-screen roles.”
A long-time producer echoed that view, saying: “She didn’t address those headlines in a way studios expected. That’s when doors began to close.”
Her recent films have further complicated the picture. While she continued to work steadily, including roles in Immaculate and Echo Valley, her performance in the boxing drama Christy – widely described as her awards play – has struggled to gain traction.
Sweeney, meanwhile, has spoken openly about the pressures that shaped her since childhood, saying, “I have very strong eyebrow muscles, and I had someone tell me to fix my face, or else I’m not going to make it. I should get Botox. I was 16.”
Braun’s Branding Influence
Her awards hopeful film ‘Christy’ struggled to gain traction.
But her candor has done little to resolve deeper doubts about her career direction. Behind the scenes, Braun’s influence is now also a topic of persistent conversation.
Sources said he has offered professional advice on her branding, though some executives interpret their partnership as further entrenching her in a world of brand optimization, jet-set visibility, and algorithm-ready aesthetics.
One insider warned: “If she keeps leaning into the glam billionaire lifestyle, she risks becoming more like a Kardashian commodity, famous for being famous, rather than the actor she fought so hard to be.”
Still, many close to her insist the core ambition remains intact.
As one member of her circle put it: “Sydney believes she can balance both – the art and the business empire.” But whether left-leaning Hollywood will let her do that is another question entirely.”
