Last week’s premiere of “And Just Like That” didn’t just devastate “Sex and the City” fans’ hearts — Peloton’s shares were also hit hard after *that* scene. But now, the exercise equipment company has responded in the ultimate way — with an ad featuring Ryan Reynolds and Chris Noth.
(This story contains spoilers about the premiere of “And Just Like That.”)
The scene in question involves Noth’s character John James Preston, also known as Mr. Big, who has been the on-and-off love interest, and later husband, of Carrie Bradshaw since the pilot episode of “Sex and the City” in 1998.
In the show’s reboot, Mr. Big and Carrie make plans to go out to dinner after Carrie is done with her plans with her friends. Mr. Big takes a ride on his Peloton bike at home while she’s out, but when he goes to get ready for dinner after the ride, he suddenly clutches his chest and collapses. Carrie comes home only for him to die in her arms.
The company’s shares fell more than 5% on Friday after the tragic scene aired.
But on Sunday, the company clapped back at the morbid plot twist, tweeting out an ad saying, “And just like that…he’s alive.”
The ad features none other than Noth himself, sitting on a couch with Peloton cycling instructor Jess King, who was the instructor Mr. Big followed in his last fatal ride in “And Just Like That.”
“To new beginnings,” Noth says in front of a crackling fireplace. “I feel great.”
He then asks King if they should “take another ride,” nodding to the two Peloton bikes behind the couch, adding: “Life’s too short not to.”
That’s when the voice of Ryan Reynolds pops in, saying, “And just like that, the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs, and circulation.”
He continues to list the benefits of exercise and cycling, before quickly adding “he’s alive,” seemingly referencing Mr. Big.
Along with its not-so-subtle reference to the HBO show, the ad is also a nod to Reynolds’ past involvement with Peloton controversy. Reynolds famously responded to a Peloton ad in 2019 that revolved around a woman’s year-long cycling journey after being gifted a Peloton bike from her spouse. After going viral for being criticized as sexist, Reynolds used the actress in his own ad for his company Aviation American Gin.
