Peloton proved it isn’t a company to rest on its laurels when it debuted an advertisement Sunday to combat the shocking plot twist in HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” revival, “And Just Like That… .”
Spoiler alert for anyone who has yet to watch the series, which premiered Thursday: John James Preston, aka Big (played by Chris Noth), the husband of beloved scribe Carrie Bradshaw, dies.
He suffers a heart attack after a Peloton ride with a fictional instructor named Allegra (played by real Peloton instructor Jess King). The ad led to outrage from “Sex and the City” fans toward the brand. Shares of Peloton also dropped.
But on Sunday, Peloton debuted a spot featuring none other than Noth himself and King.
“And just like that…he’s alive,” the company tweeted.
In the spot, Noth says to King, “To new beginnings.”
King replies: “To new beginnings. You look great.”
“Oh I feel great,” he says. “Should we take another ride? Life’s too short not to.”
Then the spot shifts to a voiceover from actor Ryan Reynolds, who says: “And just like that, the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse and reduces blood fat levels.”
Reynolds abruptly ends the spot with “He’s alive.”
A Peloton spokesperson said in a statement that the spot came to be with help from Reynolds and his marketing company, Maximum Effort. They produced the video in less than 48 hours.
“We filmed a spot with actor Chris Noth and Peloton instructor Jess King, with a voiceover by Reynolds,” the spokesperson said. “In the spot, we reinforce the narrative that Peloton and cardiovascular exercise are good for you, and help millions of real people lead long, happy and healthy lives.”
HBO Max did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Denise Kelly, a Peloton spokesperson, confirmed last week that the company had approved King’s portrayal of a fictional instructor in the episode. However, “due to confidentiality reasons, HBO did not disclose the broader context surrounding the scene to Peloton in advance,” Kelly said.
Reynolds also tweeted the ad Sunday. “Unspoiler alert,” he wrote.
Saba Hamedy contributed.