The Continued Focus on Sydney Sweeney and the Outrage Cycle
Fox News has once again found itself at the center of a manufactured controversy, this time revolving around an ice cream ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. The network’s coverage of the Baskin-Robbins commercial, which originally aired a month ago, highlights its ongoing strategy of amplifying culture war issues to drive ratings and maintain influence.
During a segment on the midday show Outnumbered, Fox News host Lara Trump and her panelists discussed a resurfaced Baskin-Robbins ad that features Sweeney promoting her “signature scoop” and “signature fizz.” While the ad itself is relatively unremarkable, the discussion on Fox News was anything but casual. Instead, it aimed to frame the ad as another example of liberals supposedly “melting down” over celebrity endorsements.
Trump began the segment by stating that Sweeney continues to make headlines, this time not for her American Eagle ad but for the Baskin-Robbins spot. She then claimed that the ad had “resurfaced” on social media and was drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle. However, the evidence provided by the network consisted of only two tweets, both from right-leaning accounts. One criticized the ad for being a “big fail,” citing concerns about health impacts, while another claimed the ad would “melt liberal minds.”
Despite the lack of substantial backlash from the left, the panel continued to push the narrative that Baskin-Robbins should embrace the controversy and not “cave to the woke mob.” They also referenced how American Eagle saw a stock price increase after its own ad campaign, suggesting that Baskin-Robbins could benefit similarly.
Co-host Emily Compagno expressed support for Sweeney, saying she wasn’t “sick of her whatsoever” and called her “amazing.” This sentiment was echoed by other panelists, who described Sweeney’s commercials as “so Americana” and compared them to iconic campaigns like Brooke Shields’ Calvin Klein ads. However, this comparison was inaccurate, as Shields was actually associated with Jordache jeans, not Calvin Klein.
The discussion also included claims that liberals have lost their ability to engage in debate since President Trump won the popular vote. Fox News contributor Lisa Marie Boothe added that the left “bully[s]” and that they are prone to “melting down” over trivial matters. These statements were made without any real evidence of widespread liberal outrage over the Baskin-Robbins ad.
Meanwhile, Fox News correspondent Alicia Acuna suggested that the backlash against the backlash is “fun to watch,” implying that the network enjoys stoking these controversies for entertainment value.
The Role of Conservative Media in Manufacturing Outrage
The New York Times reported that conservative influencers were primarily responsible for creating the initial outrage around the Sweeney ad. According to the analysis, most progressives were not particularly worked up about the ad, and criticism came mainly from a small number of accounts with limited followings. It wasn’t until right-leaning influencers and broadcasters began amplifying the issue that the conversation gained traction online and in traditional media.
This pattern is not new for conservative media, which has long specialized in taking isolated opinions or obscure posts and turning them into national narratives. By falsely claiming that these views represent the entire left, outlets like Fox News can generate outrage and keep their audience engaged.
CNN’s Andrew Kirell described this process as part of the “outrage-industrial complex,” where a viral post from an obscure account is amplified by MAGA media influencers. This leads to critical mass at Fox News, where the story gains national attention, often culminating in a personal endorsement from Donald Trump, which further fuels the cycle.
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