The husband from the infamous Peloton holiday commercial bought his real-life girlfriend an exercise bike from Peloton for Christmas, just weeks after he was seen shopping for the equipment earlier this month.
Canadian actor Sean Hunter took to his Instagram on Wednesday night to share a photo of his girlfriend – Cassidy Baras – posed on top of her new Peloton bike.
‘Here’s hoping this goes over better the second time,’ the actor said in the post from Vancouver. ‘Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don’t leave me).’
Canadian actor Sean Hunter took to his Instagram on Wednesday night to share a photo of his girlfriend – Cassidy Baras – posed on top of her new Peloton bike
Paras, who appears to be in decent physical shape, is all smiles as she sits on the bike.
Hunter was pictured shopping for a Peloton bike earlier this month after sharing in interviews that he could not afford the luxury equipment bikes, which start as low as $2,245.
The actor, who works as an elementary school teacher, says he feels left in the dust by the exercise equipment company revealing they never reached out to him following public backlash.
‘Here’s hoping this goes over better the second time,’ the actor said in the post from Vancouver. ‘Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don’t leave me).’ (Paras pictured)
‘Have they reached out to me? No, not at all. I mean, I wish they would,’ Hunter said after he was spotted at a Peloton store in Los Angeles earlier in the month.
This month’s Peloton’s holiday commercial, in which Hunter’s character gives his wife a stationary bike as a Christmas gift, went viral and sparked heated outrage, with critics calling it sexist and misogynistic.
Hunter revealed he received a lot of social media hate since the release of the commercial, some haters going as far to attack him in his direct message inbox.
‘A few bad ones, I few negative ones,’ Hunter revealed. ‘Some I delete right away. Some are personal attacks, some make fun of my image, some say you’re a bad person for doing it.’
He was spotted at a Peloton store in Los Angeles earlier in the month. When asked if he owned one of the pricey bikes, that cost over at the lowest $2,245, he said: ‘No, do you think I can afford a Peloton on a teacher’s salary? The least they could do is send me one!’
Last week Peloton’s holiday commercial, in which Hunter’s character gives his wife a stationary bike as a Christmas gift, went viral and sparked heated outrage, with critics calling it sexist and misogynistic
Hunter says the backlash led to his on-screen wife (pictured, in the commerical) doubting her acting abilities
Despite defending the company, he says he can’t even afford one of the pricey bikes that cost at the lowest $2,245.
‘No, do you think I can afford a Peloton on a teacher’s salary? The least they could do is send me one!’
Peloton said in a statement it was ‘disappointed’ its holiday commercial was ‘misinterpreted.’
‘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 said.
After losing $1.6 billion in market value, by Friday, stock had climbed to $32.63 per share
‘Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey. While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate,’ it added.
Peloton Interactive Inc’s stock fell 9.12 percent on Tuesday, and analysts attributed the drop to negative publicity over the ad.
On Thursday, shares of the company fell once again, this time by five percent. At the close of trading on Wall Street, Peloton stock was at $31.31 per share.
Before the controversy erupted, shares of Peloton were selling at slightly below $37.
That means the company lost about $1.6 billion in market value.
By Friday, stock had climbed to $32.83 per share.
Founded in 2012, Peloton sells indoor exercise bicycles and offers packages requiring memberships to access live and on-demand classes from home. Its flagship product is a stationary bike priced at more than $2,200.