Peloton can’t seem to get away from the publicity headaches caused by TV shows featuring its products. According to The New York Times and The Verge, the Billions season six premiere episode includes a scene that, like the Sex and the City follow-up And Just Like That, paints Peloton’s Bike in a less-than-flattering light — if not quite as direly as before.
Mike “Wags” Wagner (played by David Costabile) suffers a heart attack while riding his Peloton spin bike in the scene. Wagner, on the other hand, survives — he even refers to the AJLT scene, telling staff that he’s “not going out” like that character.
The executive producers of Billions told The Times that the scene was shot in spring 2021, months before the debut of AJLT and that the team overdubbed the reference to the other show in postproduction to reflect “what Wags would say.”
The Billions scene isn’t Peloton’s most recent public relations disaster. The stock price of the company plunged just after a (since-denied) claim that it had halted production due to slowing sales. It does, however, illustrate Peloton’s peculiar position. While its fitness gear remains iconic, the company is no longer as well-liked by shoppers or the entertainment business.
The full statement from Peloton can be found below.
We get why these fictional TV shows would want to include a brand that people love to talk about, but Showtime’s use of Peloton’s Bike+ and reference to a Peloton Instructor was not a brand, product, or instructor placement, and we did not agree for our brand and IP to be used on this show or provide any equipment.
As referenced by the show itself, there are strong benefits of cardio-vascular exercise to help people lead long, happy lives.