Peloton Forced To Scramble After Shocking 'Sex And The City' Sequel Twist

Peloton sowing: "Haha yeah!!! Yes!!"

Peloton reaping: "Well this sucks. What the hell."

Exercise bike giant Peloton suddenly finds itself embroiled in a crisis after a bit of product placement in HBO's Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That went horribly awry.

WARNING: This is going to spoil a major plot point in And Just Like That, so here's a video from Peloton to serve as a buffer before we get into it.

this ad is making me lose my goddamn mind pic.twitter.com/GXgypRkFOg

— sam (@cool_yeah_ok) December 1, 2019

To put it bluntly: Peloton killed Mr. Big.

The first episode of the series finds Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw enjoying their luxurious lifestyle years after the events of Sex and the City. Mr. Big has gotten into Peloton during the pandemic, and after a ride, he has a heart attack and dies.

This is a rather dramatic introduction to the Sex and the City reboot, but has become a huge problem for Peloton, who now has to deal with the fact that their product has (indirectly) killed one of television's most iconic romantic leads. Its stock saw a dramatic tumble of 11% after the episode aired, sending the company into damage control.

HBO: “We’d like to feature the use of a peloton in our upcoming season of Sex and The City, here’s the script.”$PTON : “Sounds Great!” (Doesn’t read script*)

Mr. Big has massive heart attack on the peloton.$PTON : “Fuckkkkk” pic.twitter.com/07V8URCzmz

— Chirps Ahoy (@Chirps_Ahoy) December 10, 2021

In statements given to news outlets including Slate and The Los Angeles Times, Peloton acknowledged that they knew their product would be used in And Just Like That, but they didn't know how it would be used.

"Due to confidentiality reasons, HBO did not disclose the broader context surrounding the scene to Peloton in advance," a Peloton representative told Slate.

Peloton also got cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, who serves on Peloton’s health and wellness advisory council, to deflect the blame of Mr. Big's death away from the company, and stated it was Big's "extravagant lifestyle" that caused his demise.

I’m sure SATC fans, like me, are saddened by the news that Mr. Big dies of a heart attack. Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle – including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks – and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6. These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.

More than 80% of all cardiac-related deaths are preventable through lifestyle, diet and exercise modifications. And while 25% of heart attacks each year are in patients who already had one (like Mr. Big), even then they are very, very treatable. The lesson here is, KNOW YOUR NUMBERS! It’s always important to talk to your doctor, get tested, and have a healthy prevention strategy. The good news is Peloton helps you track heart rate while you ride, so you can do it safely.

While Sex and the City fans are divided over the show's decision to kill Mr. Big and Peloton hastily puts out damage control, less-involved observers seem to agree: the whole PR disaster is extremely funny.

Kim cattrall should do a peloton ad

— Natalie Walker (@nwalks) December 10, 2021

you want me to ride a peloton? you mean the thing that ****** *

— Chris Murphy (@christress) December 9, 2021

Peloton on 8 Dec: Yay, we have a product placement on #AndJustLikeThat 🎉

Peloton on 9 Dec: pic.twitter.com/Zozf9ngblm

— Ross Purves (@RossSPurves) December 9, 2021

man that Peloton twist just took me from "likely to avoid" to "absolutely watching at least that one scene"

— Daniel M. Lavery (@daniel_m_lavery) December 9, 2021

The PR person at Peloton having to make statement because Mr.Big died after using the bike… #AndJustLikeThat pic.twitter.com/U5ZLMfmrKV

— Sarah Allegra Nehama (@NehamaSarah) December 9, 2021

Chekhov’s Peloton: the theory that, if you introduce a Peloton in Act I, someone has to die from riding it by Act III.

— Chekhov’s Peloton (@yosoymichael) December 9, 2021

The shocking And Just Like That twist makes one wonder how else the show could kill off its characters with trendy products. Charlotte dies by VTuber? Aidan by Emily Mariko's Salmon Bowl? The possibilities are endless.