What you need to know
- Peloton's week has gone from bad to worse with the news that it almost killed another on-air character.
- A Billions character has a heart attack while on a Peloton bike in the new season's opener.
- Sex and the City already killed off Mr. Big using a Peloton, causing a fall in the company's share price.
Warning, minor Billions season six spoiler ahead!
Peloton has already had its fair share of bad publicity and it's in for another round after one of its machines almost killed a beloved Billions character. This comes soon after it caused Sex and the City character Mr. Big to die from a heart attack of his own.
That caused Peloton's stock to fall 11% and now it could get a sequel of its very own with Variety reporting that Billions also has a similar scene.
And it's very aware of what's going on, too.
In the Season 6 premiere, as Axe Capital COO Mike Wagner (David Costabile) attempts to keep up with his younger girlfriend in a Peloton class, he suffers a minor heart attack. But unlike Mr. Big, Wags survives — and even makes a reference to "And Just Like That." The scene was written and shot last spring, with Wags' line — "I'm not going out like Mr. Big" — overdubbed in post-production.
Peloton is in a precarious position right now amid news that it's slashing production numbers and reducing staff. An investor recently called for a sale to Apple as well as the CEO's head and while some might argue there's no such thing as bad publicity, they're clearly wrong. You only have to look at the Mr. Big-inspired stock flop to see that.
Peloton is reportedly unhappy about its portrayal, as you might expect. The company told the New York Times that it didn't provide the bike to the show but that "there are strong benefits of cardiovascular exercise to help people lead long, happy lives." Unless you're on a TV show, it seems.
Whether Apple could be interesting in buying Peloton and rolling it into Apple Fitness+ remains to be seen.
