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Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to backlash and criticism, as she has experienced plenty of it.

There was that American Eagle “good jeans” ad in 2025, her Sports Illustrated cover with legendary female boxer Christy Martin, and her racy Novig commercial where she posed nearly nude with sports equipment. But how could something as innocent as wearing a full bear Halloween costume to match her boyfriend, Scooter Braun, be controversial?

Well, that depends on who you ask. While some fans thought Sweeney and Braun’s matching Halloween outfits were “adorable,” not everyone agreed.

The Handmaid’s Tale actress took to her Instagram Stories to share a mirror selfie of her and Braun dressed in the bear costumes and captioned it, “Happy Halloween from your favorite party animals” with a ghost emoji. Some people took issue with that caption. And although it seemed simple, Sweeney’s haters came out.

“They’re nobodies [sic] favorite,” one person wrote, while another seconded that with, “They are nobody’s favorite anything. They both look absolutely hideous,” and a third chimed in, “‘Sydney Sweeney is my favorite’ said no one ever,” before a fourth emphasized, “Yall aint anybody’s favorite.”

Others noted that Sweeney’s costume was very “modest,” posting, “She knew she had to choose something modest in her off day,” and “Her costume is not being a sex object for once.”

There were also quite a few people who opined that they liked the costumes and defended the pair for the choice.

“Okay, the bear costumes are actually adorable,” one user said.

“Looks nice actually,” another added, and a fourth gushed, “They’re sooo cute! couple goals asf.”

Others declared, “Queen making her haters crash out just by wearing a bear costume,” and “From Hollywood glamour to full-on bear mode! They definitely brought some fun energy to Halloween. Party animals indeed!” and “Two bears at a Halloween party. Somewhere there’s a bloke who spent six hours getting his horror makeup perfect, only to find Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun have stolen the attention in matching bear costumes. That’s got to sting.”

Several commenters also said that they had no idea the two were even dating.

The reports that they were a couple started in 2025, after they attended Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Venice. A video showed them walking the streets in Italy together, but it wasn’t until they got back to the States and were spotted together again that romance reports kicked into overdrive.

Sources then told Us Weekly and Page Six that “They are dating, and it has become more serious … Sydney has been having a lot of fun with Scooter. It has been low-pressure for both of them and has been a different relationship for Sydney. Scooter has introduced her to new perspectives, especially when it comes to business … It’s not a casual relationship.

“It’s game on- it’s full throttle. They are together… What really stood out to Sydney was at Jeff Bezos’s wedding. Everyone else was trying to hit on her, but Scooter wasn’t. That’s what caught her attention and made her feel like his intentions were real.”

Sweeney is Braun’s first serious public relationship since the divorce from Yael Cohen was finalized in 2022.

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