Take two!
“Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don’t leave me)??,” he added, while jokingly addressing the criticism that has surrounded the ad since it was released last month.
In November, Peloton released the holiday commercial, which centers around a husband, who is mostly offscreen, who gifts his wife the expensive stationary bike. The ad ends with the couple watching a video the wife filmed documenting her year-long fitness journey, as she thanks her husband for changing her life.
The commercial quickly went viral, with many people calling the storyline was “sexist” and saying that the wife looked afraid.
Sean Hunter and Monica Ruiz.Peloton
Actress Monica Ruiz, who plays “Peloton Wife”partially blamed herselffor the backlash, tellingTodayco-hostHoda Kotbearlier this month, “Honestly, I think it was just my face.”
“It was my fault! My eyebrows looked worried, I guess? People were like, ‘You look scared.’ I’m telling you, it was my face, that was the problem, and then it just exploded it from there,” she said, adding that she initially decided to stay out of the spotlight because she thought the backlash would “blow over.”
But Ruiz explained that her tune changed after she saw the story wasn’t going away. “I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll just let everyone know I’m fine. I’m okay, I’m not in a rehab for mental health anywhere.’ ”
As for her decision to star in a commercial forRyan Reynolds‘ Aviation Gin, whichhilariously made light of the stressful Peloton aftermath, Ruiz said she was hesitant at first because she didn’t want to rub anyone the wrong way. “But they assured me that it was just an idea that was just taking air out of the situation,” she said.
Monica Ruiz in Aviation Gin commercial.aviation gin
Hunter previouslytold PEOPLEthat while he’s enjoyed addressing the backlash and having his voice heard, Ruiz is more private — despite the Aviation Gin gig.
“She’s not feeling as outspoken as me, whereas I’m happy to share my story,” he tells PEOPLE. “I think it’s important to discuss these issues and address the reasons why people feel this way.”
Hunter added that he hasn’t felt the impact of the internet’s swift Peloton takedown. “I’ve been sent a few negative messages on Instagram, but the majority has been positive,” he said.
“We constantly hear from our members how their lives have been meaningfully and positively impacted after purchasing or being gifted a Peloton Bike or Tread, often in ways that surprise them,” a company spokesperson previously told PEOPLE in a statement.
source: people.com
