Peloton removes recent Chris Noth ad after sexual assault allegations surface

Peloton has pulled its ad featuring Sex and the City actor, Chris Noth, after sexual allegations against him surfaced online. Noth (pictured left) was recently featured in the HBO Max TV series And Just Like That which is a reboot of Sex and the City. According to The Wall Street Journal which quoted The Hollywood Reporter, two women have come forth to allege that they were sexually assaulted by Noth in 2004 and 2015 respectively. 

Meanwhile, Noth has since denied the accusations, calling them "categorically false", according to The Hollywood Reporter. He explained that the stories could have been from 30 years or 30 days ago but no always means no and he did not cross that line. Noth also claimed the encounters to be consensual and said while he is unsure why these allegations are surfacing now, he is clear that he did not assault both women. Noth is currently being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department over the allegations, media reports including Deadline said. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Peloton and Noth for comment.

Peloton made headlines recently after Mr Big, Noth's character in And Just Like That, died from a heart attack after exercising on a Peloton bike. Multiple media outlets including NBC News reported that fans were outraged and Peloton's stock even dropped 11.3% last week after Big's death, marking a 19-month low. The fitness brand did not rest on its laurels. Instead, it quickly published an ad starring Noth and Jess King who plays Allegra in the HBO Max show and is also a real Peloton instructor. 

In the now-deleted ad, Noth said: "To new beginnings", to which King responded: "To new beginnings. You look great." Noth then added: "Oh I feel great. Should we take another ride? Life's too short not to." The ad was accompanied by a voiceover from actor Ryan Reynolds who said: "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 ad with "He's alive."

This is not the first fire Peloton has had to fight this month. Earlier in December, it was counter-sued by lululemon five days after Peloton brought its own case to the Manhattan federal court, claiming that lululemon's initial claims through a cease and desist letter on Peloton copying its designs had no merits.

The dispute between both companies began after Peloton launched its private-label apparel brand in September. The product launch came after the end of a five-year co-branding relationship between lululemon and Peloton which started 2016. According to Peloton's lawsuit, the termination of the Peloton-lululemon co-branding relationship was "amicable" and lululemon did not object in any way to Peloton’s termination decision, or Peloton’s offering of its own active wear apparel.

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