In a rare case of fiction dictating the stock market, the stock price of exercise bike company Peloton has plummeted over the past 24 hours following the release of the Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That…
On the show’s first episode — spoilers ahead — Mr. Big, the character played by Chris Noth and the husband of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, suffers a heart attack after riding on his Peloton.
Mr. Big’s death took the stationary bike company by surprise, with Peloton spending much of Thursday in damage control mode, explaining that their product likely wasn’t the cause of the fictional character’s death.
“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,” Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist and member of Peloton’s health and wellness advisory council, said in a statement (via Buzzfeed). “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.”
However, the stock market wasn’t buying it (literally): Shares of Peloton tumbled from around $45 before the And Just Like That… premiere down to, at press time, $39.42. As the Wrap notes, the stock price drop wasn’t entirely Big-related: Credit Suisse recently downgraded Peloton’s earnings potential on the belief that people would eventually return to gyms following the pandemic as opposed to working out at home.
According to Buzzfeed, Peloton was aware that their stationary bike would be used on And Just Like That… in some capacity — while HBO procured their own bike, real-life Peloton instructor Jess King appears on the show as “Allegra” — but they were not made aware of its role in Big’s demise until after the episode premiered Thursday “due to confidentiality reasons.”
King did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment regarding her role in killing Mr. Big at press time.