Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Film producer Carol Baum reportedly criticized Sydney Sweeney’s looks and acting during a discussion with students about Anyone But You in April 2024. A representative for Sweeney condemned the remarks, and later coverage said Baum regretted them. The often-repeated description “ugly” is not the wording in the reported quote: Baum was quoted as saying Sweeney was “not pretty.”
What did Carol Baum reportedly say about Sydney Sweeney?
In an April 18, 2024 report, ComingSoon said Baum made the remarks while speaking with students in her producing class. The story connected the discussion to a conversation Baum had with New York Times critic Janet Maslin after a screening of Dead Ringers, and attributed portions of the account to the Daily Mail.
ComingSoon reproduced Baum’s reported classroom comment this way: “I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?’” The report does not provide a full transcript of the conversation, so this should be understood as a selected quotation attributed to Baum, not a complete record of what was said. ComingSoon’s account of the reported remarks.
Why was Anyone But You part of the discussion?
Baum’s reported question referred to Sweeney’s visibility and appeal after the success of Anyone But You. The film was relevant to a conversation about the rom-com genre; it does not establish that the reported personal criticism was a review of the film itself. The coverage also named Immaculate among Sweeney’s recent films, but the cited reports do not provide a box-office figure to quantify her success.
How did Sydney Sweeney respond?
Sweeney’s representative issued a statement criticizing Baum’s choice to attack another woman rather than share her industry experience. The statement called the remarks “shameful” and said that unjustly disparaging a fellow female producer “speaks volumes about Ms. Baum’s character.” The representative’s response was reproduced in ComingSoon’s report on Sweeney’s response.
Did Baum apologize or express regret?
Follow-up coverage reported that Baum expressed regret about her comments. That account was relayed by TMZ and summarized by ComingSoon; the available report establishes that regret was reported, but does not reproduce a direct apology to Sweeney. ComingSoon’s follow-up on the reported regret.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did Janet Maslin clarify?
In the same follow-up, ComingSoon attributed a clarification to Maslin about why Anyone But You came up in the conversation: “We brought up ‘Anyone But You’ because it’s been the rare smash hit rom-com at a time when they aren’t working. Not because we wanted to take cheap shots at anyone.” This was Maslin’s explanation as reproduced by ComingSoon, not a separately verified transcript of the original discussion.
The documented sequence is therefore a reported classroom insult, a public response from Sweeney’s representative, and later coverage of Baum’s regret and Maslin’s explanation. The original conversation itself is not available in the cited coverage, and the words “ugly” and “bad actor” should not be treated as exact quotations from Baum’s reported statement.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
