Doja Cat’s Southern Twang Mockery of Sydney Sweeney Ad Ignites Viral Frenzy and Controversy Recall

The internet erupted when Doja Cat resurrected her signature humor, delivering a scalding critique of Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad through a single TikTok video. With over 19.8 million views in days, her exaggerated Southern drawl reciting the campaign’s script—”My jeans are blee”—reignited conversations about fashion marketing missteps while unexpectedly dredging up the rapper’s own contentious past.

Doja Cat’s Viral Gene Puns

Doja Cat’s Tuesday TikTok featured no elaborate setup—just the Grammy-winner deadpanning the exact script from Sweeney’s “Good Genes” campaign: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” She twisted the final word into “blee,” highlighting the ad’s clumsy wordplay. A Pop Base side-by-side comparison rapidly spread across X (formerly Twitter), underscoring the parody’s accuracy.

The original American Eagle campaign faced immediate backlash for invoking eugenics rhetoric (“good genes”) to sell denim—a tone-deaf approach amid ongoing diversity discussions in fashion. Industry analysts like Marketing Brew noted the campaign’s poor timing, while cultural critics highlighted how associating genetic superiority with a white actress’ features alienated broader audiences. Doja Cat, whose father is Black South African, leveraged her platform to spotlight this tension through satire.

Fan Elation Meets Historical Scrutiny

Fans flooded TikTok comments with celebrations like “I missed THIS Doja Cat” and “Not on my 2025 bingo card,” praising her return to absurdist comedy after months of low visibility. However, X responses revealed starkly different reactions. Users like @copmadchanel and @neeilani resurrected Doja Cat’s 2023 controversy involving a shirt featuring alt-right figure Sam Hyde, alongside references to her deleted 2015 song “Dindu Nuffin”—a term weaponized against Black victims of police violence.

Doja Cat previously apologized for both incidents, telling Rolling Stone in 2023 she was “unaware of [Hyde’s] ideology” and calling her past lyrics “a terrible mistake.” Despite these mea culpas, critics argued her mockery of Sweeney’s ad rang hypocritical. Entertainment journalist Ira Madison III tweeted: “Satire requires clean hands. Doja’s history with alt-right aesthetics complicates her stance here.”

The viral moment underscores how digital audiences demand accountability alongside artistry—a reality where past missteps shadow present commentary. As brands and celebrities navigate polarized cultural landscapes, authenticity remains paramount. For unfiltered analysis of online controversies, subscribe to the Daily Dot’s newsletter.

Must Know

Q: What did Doja Cat say in her TikTok about Sydney Sweeney?
A: She recited verbatim the script from Sweeney’s American Eagle ad—which discusses genetic inheritance—using an exaggerated Southern accent. Her pronunciation of “blue” as “blee” mocked the campaign’s tone-deaf pun.

Q: Why was Sydney Sweeney’s ad controversial?
A: The campaign used phrases like “good genes,” echoing eugenics rhetoric, to promote jeans. Critics argued it irresponsibly linked biological superiority to Sweeney’s Eurocentric features during ongoing diversity debates.

Q: How did fans react to Doja Cat’s video?
A: Many celebrated her return to comedy, with TikTok comments praising her humor. However, X users highlighted her 2023 Sam Hyde shirt incident and 2015 song “Dindu Nuffin” as undermining her critique.

Q: Has Doja Cat addressed past controversies?
A: Yes. She apologized for the Hyde shirt in 2023, claiming ignorance of his ideology, and called her 2015 lyrics a “mistake” during a 2020 interview with The Guardian.