The Moment
File this under: the internet never forgets. A late-night clip circulating on social media shows Sydney Sweeney being told she’d “never been” to Times Square, and then happily taking it in like a first-timer. Within hours, fans pulled up photos and videos from December 2023 that place Sweeney squarely in the neon of 42nd Street during promo for her rom-com Anyone But You.
The newer clip was shared via reposts and credited by users to music executive Scooter Braun’s Instagram Story. In the reposted snippets, Sweeney appears to take a spin around midtown and pause beneath the billboards, the kind of quick, cozy New York bite that turns into an overnight talking point when you’re famous.
Fans, meanwhile, answered with timestamps. Side-by-side images from late 2023 show Sweeney and her co-star Glen Powell walking past Broadway marquees, and press photos from that same week place her in Times Square for the film’s promotional blitz. Internet detectives: 1. Celebrity memory: 0. Or is it?
The Take
Here’s my read: this is less a scandal and more a semantics skirmish. “Never been” often translates to “never did the full tourist stop,” which, if you’ve ever sprinted through Times Square between interviews, is a different thing than soaking it in, eyes up, singing along to a New York anthem. It’s the pop-culture version of saying, “I’ve never really been to that restaurant,” when the truth is you once grabbed a to-go coffee from the bar.
The internet loves a gotcha, and Times Square is a perfect stage for one. But it’s also true that stars bounce through promo gauntlets so fast that last December can feel like three apartments ago. The receipts matter, and yes, they exist, but so does a little grace for offhand, midnight chatter that wasn’t meant to be litigated frame by frame.
What’s real: Sweeney was in Times Square in December 2023. What’s hype: the leap from a casual comment to some grand indictment of honesty. The smart takeaway for celebs? Assume every quip is a quote and every stroll is archived. The smart takeaway for the rest of us? Not every continuity error is a plot twist.
Receipts
Confirmed:
- Press and wire photos dated December 11, 2023, show Sydney Sweeney in Times Square during the Anyone But You promo run (widely distributed by major photo agencies).
- Behind-the-scenes video clips from December 2023 posted by the film’s official social accounts capture Sweeney and Glen Powell walking past Broadway theaters near Times Square.
Unverified/Reported:
- That a June 2026 Instagram Story originally posted by Scooter Braun shows Sweeney declaring she’d “never been” to Times Square; current versions are reposts without the original Story live.
- That Sweeney and Braun were on a Citi Bike-and-burgers date that same night; details circulate via user reposts, not an on-record statement.
- The precise wording and context of the “never been” line in the new clip; without the original source, tone and intent are uncertain.
Backstory (for Casual Readers)
Sydney Sweeney, best known for “Euphoria” and a growing slate of films, spent late 2023 promoting “Anyone But You” with co-star Glen Powell. Those press runs routinely swing through Times Square for studio hits, fan moments, and photo ops. Translation: if you’ve got a movie to sell, there’s a decent chance you and a ring light will pass under those LED canyons at least once.
What’s Next
Two simple things to watch: Whether Sweeney or her team clarifies the “never been” comment, even a casual “I meant as a tourist!” would close the loop, and whether the original June 2026 Story resurfaces from its primary source, which would firm up the clip’s context and wording. Until then, the cleanest read is this: the 2023 photos are real, and the new “first time” framing looks more like a vibes-forward caption than a sworn affidavit.
Do you see this as a harmless slip of the tongue, or fair game for fans who archive everything?
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