The man the internet has dubbed “Peloton Husband” is speaking out about fears that he’ll have trouble booking more commercial jobs after starring in the infamous viral commercial for the pricey exercise bikes.
His name is Sean Hunter, and when he’s not acting in commercials, he’s an elementary school teacher in Vancouver, Canada, according to Psychology Today, who interviewed him about the aftermath of the widely criticized ad for Peloton.
“As my face continues to be screen shot online, I wonder what repercussions will come back to me,” Hunter said. “It’s really hard to improve when all feedback goes against any type of growth. I currently sit here hoping that I’ll be able to continue auditioning for commercials without any taint, and that if my students happen to find the commercial and recognize me, they won’t think about me any different than they already know me. After all, this commercial has nothing to do with my ability to teach or who I am.”
In the ad, Hunter plays the non-speaking role of a husband who buys his wife a Peloton bike for Christmas. The storyline follows the wife as she documents a year’s worth of using the bike via selfie videos. At the end, she and her husband sit down on the couch to view her entire selfie journey on TV, and then she thanks him for changing her life.
The spot, which had been running since early November, gained traction during the Thanksgiving holiday week, and led to the intense online backlash for what many called “cringeworthy” and sexist elements.
Hunter also recalled the moment he realized the ad had gone viral for the wrong reasons. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “My 5 seconds of air time created an array of malicious feedback that is all associated with my face. My friend texted me today declaring that I’m ‘a symbol of the patriarchy.'”
The actor and teacher also stressed that he is not the same person as the man he plays in the ad. “Unfortunately, the problem is that viewers can mistake an actor as that person after they’ve seen them on television instead of a person given a script with no opinion on what they are being told to portray,” he said.
He went on to acknowledge the negative attention that his co-star and “Peloton Wife,” Monica Ruiz, has gotten as well — though she did recently score a gig in a commercial for Ryan Reynold’s gin company.
“I reflect on what my co-actor must be dealing with, as she’s the other 25 seconds of the story,” Hunter said.
19 Golden Globes Nominations Snubs and Surprises, From 'When They See Us' to Cate Blanchett (Photos)
Who was a surprise, and who was left out in the Golden Globe Award nominations on Dec. 9?
Snub: Robert De Niro
“The Irishman” got a lot of love at the Globes, including nods for both of his co-stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in the Supporting Actor category, but De Niro himself came away empty-handed.
Netflix
Surprise: Cate Blanchett for "Where'd You Go Bernadette?"
Cate Blanchett’s performance in Richard Linklater’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” was fairly forgotten, as the movie was a late summer release that didn’t play the festival circuit, and the film was a critical and box office disappointment considering its pedigree. It’s a good thing the HFPA remembered though, because she’s phenomenal in a light-hearted, but complex role.
Annapurna
Snub: "Game of Thrones"
"Game of Thrones," one of the most critically acclaimed shows ever, received no love on Monday except for lead actor Kit Harington. At the Emmys this year, the show swooped five awards, out of its 10 nominations.
HBO
Surprise: Ana de Armas for "Knives Out"
Ana de Armas was great in "Knives Out," but her nomination came as a bit of a surprise to some, especially because "Hustlers'" Constance Wu was shut out.
Snub: "The Handmaid's Tale"
The Hulu show has seen major wins in previous year for "The Handmaid's Tale," but this year, the Elisabeth Moss-fronted show couldn't even score a nomination.
Hulu
Surprise: Annette Bening for "The Report"
Annette Bening plays Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Scott Z. Burns’ dense but scathing drama about how the CIA aimed to cover up its use of torture and “enhanced interrogation techniques” following 9/11. Her co-star Adam Driver as investigator Daniel J. Jones is deserving as well, but he got nominated for his work in “Marriage Story”
Amazon
Snub: "When They See Us"
Niecy Nash and Jharrel Jerome were predicted nominees, and the show was expected to get a Best TV Limited Series nod, at least -- but it got absolutely nothing. Shocking, especially because it received the most love at the Critics Choice Awards just the day before, and Jerome won the Emmy.
Netflix
Surprise: "Catch-22"
The underrated Hulu wartime drama “Catch-22” scored some surprise nominations in the Limited Series category and for star Christopher Abbott. And this will give the HFPA an opportunity to invite George Clooney to the ceremony.
Hulu
Snub: Noah Baumbach for Best Director
Baumbach was left out of the Best Director nominations for his film "Marriage Story," in a category that included Bong Joon Ho ("Parasite"), Sam Mendes ("1917"), Todd Phillips ("Joker"), Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman") and Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"). Stiff competition, but still a surprise.
Netflix
Surprise: "Two Popes" in Best Drama and Jonathan Pryce in Best Actor
“The Two Popes” is a delightful movie, but it might be the lightest among the other very serious drama nominees. And Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis, though he bears a splitting resemblance to the pontiff, is a surprise for having beaten out guys like Robert De Niro in “The Irishman.”
Netflix
Snub: Lupita Nyong'o for "Us"
After Nyong'o won the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Actress for her role in Jordan Peele's "Us," we thought the HFPA might do the same. However, the actress got no love on Monday.
Universal
Surprise: Reese Witherspoon for "Morning Show"
Those Apple TV+ subscriptions must be fresh for voters, because they didn’t just nominate Jennifer Aniston for her work on “The Morning Show,” they also nominated Reese Witherspoon to give the show two Lead Actress nominations in the same category.
Apple TV +
Snub: "Uncut Gems"
There was no love at all for Adam Sandler's "Uncut Gems," although the National Board of Review just named it one of the 10 best films of the year, and Sandler even won Best Actor. The New York Film Critics Circle gave the Best Director Award to the Safdie Brothers for the film.
A24
Surprise: Christina Applegate
Applegate was wonderful in "Dead To Me" and definitely deserves recognition, but the could be deemed a surprise given the other heavy hitters that could've received a nomination. For example, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was left out for "Veep."
Netflix
Snub: "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie"
What's the opposite of "Yeah, bitch!"? Oh, right: No, bitch!
We waited six years to find out what happened to Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and actually got a very good movie along with that answer -- and yet no Golden Globe nomination?!? Even Aaron himself was left out in the cold -- and we're not talking about where he ends up. C'mon, dog.
Netflix
Surprise: Ramy Youssef
Youssef was nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy category, alongside Ben Platt, Bill Hader, Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd. Ted Danson ("The Good Place") was shut out.
Hulu
Snub: Jeremy Strong
The amount of crap that Kendall Roy (Strong) had to suffer this season on "Succession" and not even a lousy Golden Globe nomination? OK, so there's nothing "lousy" about a Globes nod, but this snub sure is. Don't get us wrong, Brian Cox is very deserving and likely split the vote in a Christian Bale-Matt Damon "Ford v. Ferrari" scenario, but Jeremy was just as deserving as his small-screen big poppa. That rap alone!
Happy to see (TV) lil' bro Roman (Kieran Culkin, the actual lil' bro of Macauley Culkin) recognized in his own category.
HBO
Snub: Female Directors
Once again, not one woman was nominated in the Best Director category, although this year was stacked with critically-acclaimed films directed by women. Lulu Wang ("The Farewell"), Melisa Matsoukas ("Queen & Slim"), Marielle Heller ("A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood") and Greta Gerwig ("Little Women"), for example, were left out.
Sony
Snub: "Honey Boy"
Alma Har'el's film was completely shut out as well -- not even Shia LaBeouf received a nod for portraying his own father in the film based on his own life.
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Cate Blanchett and Reese Witherspoon also received surprise nods, while ”Succession’s“ Jeremy Strong was shut out
Who was a surprise, and who was left out in the Golden Globe Award nominations on Dec. 9?
Netflix
