- Trent Sweeney is Sydney Sweeney’s younger brother, born September 12, 1997, and is the only sibling of the Euphoria star. He grew up alongside Sydney in a small lakeside town near the Washington-Idaho border, far from anything resembling Hollywood.
- After briefly exploring acting as a child, Trent redirected his path entirely, joining the United States Air Force in 2020 and becoming the first member of Sydney’s family to serve in the military.
- Beyond his military service, Trent is also a Twitch streamer who goes by the username PeanutButterPaul, describing himself as someone who plays “random games” and is often streaming when he is “not working or out of town.”
When Sydney Sweeney posted a FaceTime screenshot of her brother in full military gear this week, a lot of people had the same question: Who exactly is Trent Sweeney? He has floated around Sydney’s Instagram for years, cracking jokes, showing up at premieres, and defending his sister in the most creative ways possible. But there is a lot more to him than most people realise.
Here is the full story on the man Sydney calls her biggest supporter.
From a Lakeside Town to the Air Force
Trent and Sydney were raised by their parents, Lisa and Steven Sweeney, in a small lakeside town outside of Spokane, near the Washington-Idaho border. Lisa worked as a criminal defence attorney, and Steven worked in hospitality.
When Sydney decided she wanted to pursue acting, the whole family uprooted their lives and moved to Los Angeles. In her own words, the four of them lived in a single one-bedroom hotel room for nine months while Sydney chased auditions at 16. Trent was right there through it all, a kid watching his sister bet everything on a dream.
He attended Gonzaga University in Spokane and even tried his hand at acting as a child, appearing in short films as both an actor and assistant director. But the camera was never really his calling.
In 2020, Trent made a sharp turn and joined the United States Air Force, becoming the first person in Sydney’s family to serve in the defence forces. Sydney sent him off with a message that read: “My little bro leaves for basic training tomorrow. Wishing you luck, bud. When the going gets tough, just remember your sister is tougher than you.”
He completed training by August 2020 and never looked back.
Staff Sergeant by Day, PeanutButterPaul by Night
Trent was promoted to staff sergeant in the US Air Force in August 2025, a milestone he shared proudly on his Instagram. It is not a desk job. Staff sergeants in Air Force munitions squadrons work directly with weapons systems, making their role one of the more hands-on positions in the entire branch.
But the second you think you have him figured out, there is the Twitch channel. Trent streams video games under the handle PeanutButterPaul, describing himself as someone who plays random games and is usually live whenever he is not working or travelling.
When he is offline, Trent can be found cooking, travelling, and spending time with his dogs Rango and Kovu, two constants on his social media that his followers have come to love almost as much as he does.
The Brother Who Always Shows Up
This is where Trent’s story gets genuinely endearing. He has been quietly, consistently showing up for Sydney long before most people knew his name.
When Netflix cancelled Sydney’s early series Everything Sucks! Back in 2018, Trent walked to a wall at Gonzaga University and physically wrote “renew everything sucks” on it, posting the photo on Instagram. Sydney replied in the comments with just two words: “brother goals.”
He showed up in a sleek black outfit beside her on the red carpet at her Echo Valley film premiere in June 2025, a rare public appearance that felt less like a PR moment and more like a brother refusing to let his sister walk a big night alone.
And then came the greatest sibling move in recent memory. When Sydney faced widespread backlash over American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, which critics accused of promoting eugenic ideas, Trent posted his official staff sergeant promotion certificate to his Instagram Stories with the caption, “It’s them good jeans.”
No press statement. No interview. Just a perfectly timed joke from a brother who knew exactly what his sister needed in that moment.
Why People Can’t Stop Talking About Him Right Now
Sydney shared an Instagram Story on Tuesday, March 24, with a screenshot from a video call with Trent in his camouflage uniform and helmet, captioning it, “Receiving calls from my bro always makes me happy when he’s deployed,” before adding a message of support for all troops serving overseas.
With the Iran war escalating and thousands of US troops being mobilised to the Middle East right now, the post landed differently than a typical celebrity sibling moment. It put a name, a face, and a personality on what military deployment actually looks like for the families left behind.
Trent Sweeney is not famous. He has not tried to be. He is just a staff sergeant, a Twitch streamer, a dog dad, and the kind of brother every person wishes they had in their corner.
