Vandalized billboard on 91 Freeway in Corona references Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A recent controversial denim ad campaign by American Eagle featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has spurred someone to cover a billboard along the 91 Freeway in Corona with an incendiary message.

The banner reads, "Proud Boys love Sydney Sweeney. She has the best blue genes."

One Corona resident took a photograph of the banner on her way to work and sent it to Eyewitness News.

"I was pretty shocked to read that," said Brandi, who didn't want her last name made public. "Angry, scared, disappointed, I guess a mix of feelings."

There's no indication the banner was placed over the billboard by members of the Proud Boys, or by someone else just trying to stir controversy.

"If their intentions were to spread fear in the community by putting their name on something like that, although it could spread fear, I think the best thing we could do is not be fearful or scared of this kind of thing. That's the sort of feeling they want to promote," Brandi said.

President Donald Trump offered praise Monday for Sydney Sweeney amid backlash over the ad campaign.

"Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Go get 'em Sydney!" he added.

Later in his message, which was originally deleted and reposted after incorrectly spelling Sweeney's first name as "Sidney," Trump added, "Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be."

The "Euphoria" actress, who has not commented publicly on her voter registration, came under fire recently for her "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" ad campaign for American Eagle.

The ads feature a play on the words "jeans" and "genes."

In one ad, Sweeney says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue," as the camera pans up to her face.

In another ad, posted on the company's social media, Sweeney is seen cleaning a photo of herself with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes," with "genes" crossed out to instead read "jeans."

Some critics of the ad campaign claim it promotes eugenics, a "scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations," according to the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Other critics say the campaign is hypersexualized and glorifies Sweeney's physique.

Some commenters online have also compared the ads to actress Brooke Shields' controversial 1980 campaign for Calvin Klein.

In one of those commercials, the then 15-year-old actress and model pulls on a pair of Calvin Klein jeans while lying on the ground, saying in part, "The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code. Genes are fundamental in determining the characteristics of an individual and passing on these characteristics to a succeeding generation."