Peloton Interactive Inc. PTON has withdrawn its viral video advertisement featuring actor Chris Noth in his Mr. Big character from the “Sex in the City” sequel “And Just Like That” following allegations by two women that Noth sexually assaulted them years ago.
What Happened: The Hollywood Reporter published accounts from two women identified as “Zoe” and “Lily” that Noth sexually assaulted them in 2004 and 2015, respectively. The women said they came forward with their accounts after Noth was back in the spotlight with the revival of his iconic character from “Sex in the City.”
Noth issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter calling the accusations “categorically false” and stating his encounters with the women “were consensual.”
“It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out,” Noth added. “I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
According to a Deadline report, the Los Angeles Police Department is not actively looking into sexual assault allegations against Noth because no formal report has been filed with law enforcement authorities.
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What Happened Next: After the allegations were published, Peloton quickly withdrew the new advertisement featuring Noth from its social media pages.
“Every single sexual assault accusation must be taken seriously,” a Peloton spokesperson told that Hollywood Reporter. “We were unaware of these allegations when we featured Chris Noth in our response to HBO’s reboot. As we seek to learn more, we have stopped promoting this video and archived related social posts.”
The advertisement was inspired when Noth’s character passed away in the Dec. 9 premiere of “And Just Like That” of a heart attack after completing his 1,000th Peloton ride. Three days later, Noth and actress Jess King, who played Mr. Big’s Peloton instructor in the new series, were paired for an online Peloton advertisement produced by Maximum Effort, a marketing company owned by actor Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds has also withdrawn the advertisement from his social media pages.
Photo: Screen shot from the Peloton advertisement featuring Chris Noth as Mr. Big.
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