Despite her rocky start in the acting industry, Sydney Sweeney is now one of the most in-demand actresses in both film and television. The 24-year-old has been developing her career for years through several supporting roles in film and television, yet it was her smash hit role as Cassie Howard in HBO’s Euphoria that really thrust Sweeney into the spotlight. Since then, the actress has seen huge levels of fame and success and has become a household name garnering recognition from millions worldwide. With the newfound fame, of course, came a far greater level of scrutiny as many began to analyze all aspects of the young actress’ life such as her clothes, hobbies, and ambiguous dating history.Unfortunately for the actress, living a life in the public eye meant that she began to get criticized by internet trolls. For this reason, the actress made a point to try and keep her personal life as private as she possibly could. This included keeping her relationship with her boyfriend of five years, Jonathan Davino, as private as possible. However, due to her fame, fans and audiences worldwide quickly became aware of the couple, and they soon too became the subject of internet trolling. The main reason for this was due to the 13-year-age gap between the pairing with Sweeney being 24 years old and Davino 13 years her senior. So what is the history behind this heavily criticized relationship, and why are fans so against it? Let’s take a look at Sweeney and Davino’s relationship timeline and how that resulted in all the Twitter trolling.
8 The Pair Became A Talking Point In 2018
Way back in 2018, the very first flicker of dating rumors between the 38-year-old and the Euphoria star began to catch fire across the internet. According to Brides, Sweeney and Davino were first photographed together at an Emmys party at the Nomad Hotel in LA where they seemed slightly too cozy to be just friends. Following the party appearance, the pair were then spotted by each other's side again during an InStyle and Kate Spade dinner party. These two events kick-started the pair’s relationship in the public eye as they went viral as a couple shortly after.
7 A Year Later In 2019, The Pair Seemingly Went Public With Their Relationship
Fast-forward a year and the heavily speculated couple officially stepped out together in public which seemed to confirm their relationship status. In October 2019, the pair were photographed attending a New York Knicks basketball game in Madison Square Garden together. The pictures showed Sweeney and Davino sitting side by side, laughing, smiling, and just looking plain adorable as they looked out onto the court.
6 Later That Year, Sweeney Mentioned Wanting To Settle Down
Whilst neither one of the pair explicitly spoke up about the relationship, it was clear that the lovebirds had been seeing each other. During an interview with EliteDaily, later on in 2019, Sweeney even went as far as to mention her wishes to settle down. The actress explicitly mentioned wanting to settle down in Chicago, where Davino is based, and even teased the relationship by mentioning her “getaway place” in the city. However, when asked who exactly it was that she knew in Chicago, Sweeney instead decided to keep her cards close to her chest and reply with a short and sweet, “a friend.”
5 In Late 2020 They Were Spotted On A Romantic Getaway
Despite the pair seemingly deciding to keep their relationship private, it seems as though they just can’t escape the paparazzi. In 2020, a year following Sweeney’s exclusive EliteDaily interview, the actress and her boyfriend were photographed together yet again. However, this time the pair were papped during a romantic retreat in Maui, Hawaii, where Sweeney had been filming the HBO limited drama, White Lotus. The pictures, as seen on JustJared, showed Sweeney and Davino embracing and showing off some steamy PDA whilst frolicking around in the ocean.
4 Two Years Later, In 2022, The Pair Reportedly Got Engaged
Following the steamy Maui pictures in 2020, it was safe to say that the question of whether Sweeney and Davino had really been just friends was visually answered. After another 2 years of dating in the public eye, Sweeney and Davino made headlines yet again as they reportedly hit a huge milestone in their relationship. In late February 2022, Sweeney was spotted wearing an engagement ring on her left ring finger as reported by People.
3 However, Some Fans Do Not Agree With The Relationship
With the news of the pair’s engagement going viral, the pair received a lot of criticism and hate online. Many fans of the actress did not support the pairing and engagement due to the 13-year age gap between them. Some pointed out how Sweeney had only been 19 when the relationship began, claiming that the 19 and 33-year-old dynamic did not “sit right with them”.
For example, one Twitter user stated, “Sydney Sweeney being 24 now, engaged to a 38 year old that she's been dating for 5 years DOES NOT sit right with me. She was 19 and he was 33??? WHATTT”.
2 Many Wish For Sweeney To Be Single Altogether
As is the case with many widely adored celebrities when they get into a public relationship, many fans of the actress did not support the engagement as they wished for Sweeney to remain single. Their disappointment of Sweeney not only being in a committed relationship but also engaged, lead to many trolling Davino and the situation. Many even came for Davino and his appearance, pinpointing their disappointment down to Sweeney choosing to settle down with what they described as the “ugliest most boring looking old dude”.
1 Yet Others Support The Couple
Despite the harsh criticism the pair faced, some fans of the actress came to her defense. Many believed that the reaction that the 13-year age gap between the pair had garnered had been way too exaggerated and not at all as shocking as many made it out to be. Others pointed out how other celebrity couples with similar age gaps didn’t seem to be getting the same levels of hate as Sweeney and Davino.
For example, one Twitter user wrote, “y’all love to have discourses about sydney sweeney and the 13 year age gap between her bf…but when it comes to blake lively and ryan reynolds (not to say i don’t like them or whatever) having a similar gap, it’s crickets.”
