(Bloomberg) -- Peloton Interactive Inc. pulled an ad featuring Chris Noth after the Hollywood Reporter published a story on sexual assault allegations against the “Sex and the City” actor, extending a painful saga for the fitness company.
Last week, a new HBO Max show based on “Sex and the City” included a scene where Noth, who played the character Mr. Big, died after a 45-minute ride on a Peloton exercise bike. At the time, Peloton said it didn’t know its product would be used to kill off a character -- and the incident jarred investors. The stock declined over concerns that the episode would further erode Peloton’s cachet.
Peloton scrambled to respond and turned to the marketing firm of movie star Ryan Reynolds, who helped create an ad for the company in less than 48 hours. It featured a healthy Noth with Peloton fitness instructor Jess King, with Reynolds saying in narration that regular cycling improves circulation and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
But by Thursday Peloton had removed the ad from the web, a response to a Hollywood Reporter story about sexual assault allegations against Noth by two women.
A Peloton spokesperson said it has stopped promoting the advertisement and archived related social media posts as it investigates the matter.
“Every single sexual assault accusation must be taken seriously,” the company said in a statement. “We were unaware of these allegations when we featured Chris Noth in our response to HBO’s reboot.”
In his own statement to Bloomberg, Noth described the allegations as “categorically false.”
“No always means no -- that is a line I did not cross,” he said. “The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”