Peloton removes Chris Noth’s viral ad following sexual assault allegations

Peloton removed viral ads featuring Chris Noth from their social media accounts after allegations of sexual assault against the Sex and the City actor surfaced Thursday.

“Every allegation of sexual assault must be taken seriously,” Peloton said in a statement. “We were unaware of these allegations when we introduced Chris Noth in our response to the HBO reboot.” “As we seek to learn more, we have stopped promoting this video and archived the relevant social media posts.”

Allegations of sexual harassment appeared on Thursday in an article in Hollywood Reporter… The article said that two women who accessed the publication separately, months apart and who did not know each other, told The Hollywood Reporter that promotions and press coverage of the new sequel to Sex and the City brought back painful memories. about incidents. One allegedly took place in Los Angeles in 2004 and the other in New York in 2015.

Because The Hollywood Reporter gave the women pseudonyms to protect their privacy, CNBC was unable to contact them for comment.

Noth denied attacking the two women, stating that “the meetings were coordinated.”

“It’s hard not to doubt the timing of these stories,” he said in a statement. “I don’t know for sure why they are surfacing now, but I do know one thing: I did not attack these women.”

The premiere of HBO Max’s “And Just Like That” has once again brought attention to Not’s beloved character, Mr. Big. Big was portrayed in the Sex and the City spin-off dying of a heart attack after a 45-minute Peloton class.

Peloton’s stock plummeted after the airwaves, prompting the bicycle manufacturer to announce that its fitness equipment could improve people’s physical health. The brand then partnered with actor Ryan Reynolds’ marketing firm Maximum Effort to create a spoof ad. Here Noth wakes up as Mr. Big and says to Peloton instructor Jess King: “I feel great. Maybe we can make another trip? Life is too short not to do this. “

Peloton said he created the video in just 48 hours in a studio in New York after reactions to the show. The announcement was initially positive for the company and Peloton’s shares rallied. Peloton shares gained nearly 4% on Thursday. After several volatile sessions in recent days, the company’s stock has dropped nearly 74% YTD, bringing its market value to $ 13.05 billion.

Peloton declined to comment on how much money was spent retaining Not and Reynolds to help produce the ad. However, on Thursday, Reynolds also removed ads from his social media platforms.

“The accusations against me made by people I met many years, even decades ago, are categorically false,” Noth said in a statement. “These stories could have been written 30 years ago or 30 days ago – it doesn’t always mean no – that’s a line I haven’t crossed.”