One of the weirdest stories of the week is about producer Carol Baum bashing Sydney Sweeney for no real reason. Baum produced Father of the Bride, Snow Falling On Cedars, The Good Girl and a dozen other films. This week, Baum was chatting with a NYT moderator for some kind of discussion about Hollywood, and Baum recounted watching Anyone But You, the successful romantic-comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Sydney produced ABY too. Baum apparently said, “Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?” RUDE! Well, Baum’s comments were publicized by the Daily Mail and other outlets, and there was an immediate reaction from Sweeney’s rep. Baum apparently already tried to backtrack too:
Sydney Sweeney’s camp hasn’t wasted time clapping back at the attack on her looks and acting chops by a Hollywood producer … even though the woman herself is walking it back. A rep for the “Euphoria” actress called out Carol Baum for her recent remarks that classified SS as “not pretty” and not a good actress, saying, “How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman.”
The rep adds, “If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms Baum’s character.”
Sydney’s former colleagues have also come out to speak up on her behalf — including producer Teddy Schwarzman, who worked with Sydney on “Immaculate.” He responded to this slam as well, saying Sydney is not only talented, but incredibly humble and kind … and a badass scream queen too.
As for Carol herself, she’s already expressing regret over the whole thing — telling TMZ she wishes she never would’ve made her original comments, and that crapping on an actor like that in public usually isn’t her style. Carol — who has movie credits under her belt such as “Father of the Bride” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” — goes on to say she’s been getting a ton of hate mail over all this.
Hate mail? The Mail ran Baum’s comments as an exclusive on Tuesday, and the story was only widely picked up on Wednesday. I guess Baum could mean email or hate-DMs rather than “mail,” but who knows. It doesn’t sound like Carol Baum is current on modes of communication. Anyway, I think Sydney’s rep struck the right tone and this is honestly a very easy layup for Team Sweeney. Sydney gets tons of sympathy and she gets further recognition as a successful producer. It also helps that in Sydney’s time in Hollywood, she’s made friends and she hasn’t walked all over people on her way to the upper-middle of Hollywood.
As a producer of #Immaculate, I’ll enlighten Ms. Baum that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I’ve worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble. I’m not sure why someone who claims to still be a producer would make such…
— Teddy Schwarzman (@tschwarzman) April 17, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- New York, NEW – Columbia Pictures’ “Anyone But You” New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City. Pictured: Sydney Sweeney BACKGRID USA 11 DECEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NEW – Columbia Pictures’ “Anyone But You” New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City. Pictured: Sydney Sweeney BACKGRID USA 11 DECEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Sydney, AUSTRALIA – Celebrities attend the Sydney screening of “Anyone But You” at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, Australia. Pictured: Sydney Sweeney BACKGRID USA 18 DECEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Brandon Voight / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York premiere of HBO Original film ‘Reality’ at MoMa, New York City. Featuring: Sydney Sweeney Where: New York, New York, United States When: 16 May 2023 Credit: Marion Curtis/StarPix for HBO/startraksphoto.com
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- Celebrities attend The World Premiere of Madame Web held at Regency Village Theatre Featuring: Sydney Sweeney Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 12 Feb 2024 Credit: Media Punch/INSTARimages
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- 96th Academy Awards Vanity Fair Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Sydney Sweeney Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 11 Mar 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Celebrities arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Featuring: Sydney Sweeney Where: Los Angeles, United States When: 10 Mar 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. Featuring: Sydney Sweeney Where: Beverly Hills, California, United States When: 14 Mar 2024 Credit: Media Punch/INSTARimages
I don’t really know much about either of these two people. I do think Sydney is lovely. But can we just get past people seeing bashing others, as a way to lift themselves up?
We need to demand better from our media, leaders and ourselves.
Glad Sydney clapped back. I don’t get her fame, either, but that doesn’t mean it’s cool to use a platform to bash her.
With this story blowing up so hard, seemingly out of nowhere, Sydney comes out smelling like roses. Might even be a boost for her, lol, now that she’s got people actively defending her.
Baum showed a lack of curiosity with her comments. I don’t care as much about the “women not trashing women” angle. I care more that Baum doesn’t have the professional insight to answer her own question.
Same.
I don’t find her compelling in the least. She just rather blends in.
But those are my personal comments, I’d never repeat them to a reporter ffs, especially if I was a big name producer.
That was just bizarre. And I loved that everyone used “woman” in response to her “girl”.
THIS.
I am so tired of adults using the term “girl” as a way to dismiss and deride grown ass women.
I am 40 this summer and I still get spoken to like this because I look much younger. My whole life I’ve looked younger than I am and it gets me all kinds of unsolicited and negative attention, usually from older women. I try not to let it get to me but I have lived through a lot and have been on my own since age 16. Even without that qualifier I am still an adult capable of making my own choices and knowing what’s best for me.
I hope Carol apologizes to Sydney, and learns from this.
Funny no mention from Carol about an apology for saying it or being wrong, merely regretting the negative response. A-holes gotta a-hole I guess
What ever her private feelings about Miss Sweeney, in a business setting and small world of LA LA land, those kind of things are something you keep in your head, not say out loud. I find it hard to believe she didn’t understand that comments like this might come back and bite her in the a**. What happened to women building others up and mentoring? Instead of tear down from what it sounds like someone she doesn’t even know. B*tch mode was activated apparently.
Sweeney is the current twenty-something “It” girl. Carol Baum, in her pictures, looks to be at least middle-aged. Could be sexual jealousy. It’s not easy to get older.
It was just unkind and unnecessary.
Are Carol Baum’s comments a surprise when, based on her Buffy movie, her idea of pretty and talented is (ugh) Kristy Swanson?
Did you catch Teddy Schwartzman’s comment “someone who claims to still be a producer?” Excellent shade putting her exactly in her place.
I’m sure in her prime there was a belief that there was only room for one female producer in Hollywood, similar to what Gabrielle Union has said about black actresses at that time. It’s a shame that Carol Baum has apparently grown not at all in the time since. Bet she gets released from that teaching job too.
I’ll admit I giggled when the only two notable things they named as her having produced came out ~35 years ago. She isn’t relevant anymore. Like someone commented in the original post about this, looks like someone is trying to become relevant again.
At the age of 81, you’d think that Carol Baum would have better ways to spend her time. Bashing another woman is never acceptable. For that matter, spewing hate at any person is wrong. It’s sickening that trash talk seems to be a sport to some people.
I don’t think this rises to the level of bashing or spewing hate. I mean, she didn’t need it to say it so publicly but the woman said she understand the appeal of someone who she doesn’t think is that talented or that pretty and now even though that is wrong, it’s okay bash her and call her old, out of touch, mock her own career, etc. The situational outrage is mind boggling.
Also, people can have differing opinions. It doesn’t mean they are jealous, a hater, envious of someone’s youth, etc etc etc. That is also very misogynistic to make the claim that an older woman is simply envious of someone younger than her. In her opinion Sweeney isn’t that talented or that pretty – it’s all subjective! Better left said amongst your friends and not a public forum but the outrage is ridiculous.