We Need To Unpack All The Wild Details In Chris Noth's Peloton Ad

The SATC reboot kicked off with a big surprise, but a new commercial that began airing just days after the And Just Like That premiere was somehow even more unexpected. On Sunday, Dec. 12, Peloton dropped a surprise video that’s one huge reference to the buzzy And Just Like That series premiere, which dropped on HBO Max just three days earlier on Thursday, Dec. 9. Fans are going to need to see Chris Noth’s Peloton ad shading Big’s And Just Like That twist to believe it, because it’s so surreal.

Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers from the series premiere of And Just Like That. Peloton has had a wild week since And Just Like That premiered. In the first episode of the long-awaited reboot, Carrie Bradshaw’s longtime love, Big, had a lethal heart attack shortly after a rigorous workout on one of the brand’s stationary bikes. Peloton was quick to issue a statement on the matter, with the fitness brand’s health and wellness advisory council cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum citing Big’s “extravagant lifestyle” and possible family history as the likely causes of the cardiac event, not his Peloton ride.

That seemed like the end of it... until a bizarre video starting making the rounds on Twitter a couple days later. The newly released ad, cheekily titled “He’s Alive,” stars Chris Noth cozying up with Peloton instructor Jess King, who played Big’s favorite instructor Allegra on And Just Like That. “Should we take another ride,” Noth suggests, eyeing the Peloton bikes behind them. “Life’s too short not to.”

Obviously, the commercial is one huge And Just Like That reference, and the quick turnaround is just part of what makes it feel so alarming. The whole thing was produced in just 48 hours, according to The Hollywood Reporter, meaning it was conceived, set up, and shot immediately after the And Just Like That shocker aired.

And if that voice reading the pointed heath benefits of Peloton bikes at the end of the ad sounds familiar, that’s because it’s none other than Ryan Reynolds. The actor’s marketing company Maximum Effort can add this to its growing list of viral commercials, which also includes a jokey response to Peloton’s viral 2019 ad featuring a woman constantly riding the brand’s bike with a pained expression, who was quickly dubbed “Peloton wife.” The new Peloton advertisement even includes a little shoutout to Reynolds’ 2019 Aviation Gin commercial starring Peloton wife Monica Ruiz, as both Noth and King say “to new beginnings,” the same phrase Ruiz toasted to after being freed from her Peloton hellscape.

All in all, it’s a strange commercial, but clearly did its job in grabbing the attention of every SATC fan. While Big may be gone in And Just Like That, he’s apparently still alive in the Peloton Cinematic Universe, so that’s something, I guess.