Plot twist to despised Christmas commercial

The most despised ad of this Christmas season has taken an unusual turn with a tone-deaf revelation from the unfortunate star at its centre.

The actor who played the controversial husband in the creepy Peloton TV advertisement has revealed he got his real life girlfriend a genuine Peloton bike for Christmas.

Sean Hunter, who plays the clueless husband that a surprises his wife with a $3800 stationary fitness bike in the loathed commercial, showed off his fancy exercise gift in a photo with his partner on Instagram.

While Hunter’s girlfriend, Cassidy Baras, appears to be head over heels with her Christmas bounty, the commercial and the product continues to be the laughing stock of the internet.

“Here’s hoping this goes over better the second time,” Hunter captioned his photo.

“Merry Christmas to my actual girlfriend (pls don’t leave me).”

Reaction to the ad has been overwhelmingly negative — the commercial has become meme fodder, and despite being released in November, a variety of parodies went viral in early December.

We all need to treasure the things that bring us together as a nation, as a people. Collectively hating on this Peloton ad is that thing. pic.twitter.com/UQtUU4CCQt

— Renee Klahr (@reneeklahr) December 2, 2019

One of the most prominent criticisms for the commercial was regarding the husband’s choice of Christmas gift. It’s blatantly clear why no husband should ever purchase exercise equipment for their significant other, especially during the holidays.

Comedian Eva Victor created a parody detailing exactly why that’s the case.

when my husband gets me a Peleton for Christmas ........ pic.twitter.com/Z2d3ewMhPu

— Eva Victor (@evaandheriud) December 2, 2019

Another notable condemnation was the depiction of “Peloton wife” in the commercial as extremely thin before she started the training. Unrealistic body images has been a widely criticised aspect of contemporary advertising, and the actress depicted is already “rail thin” before receiving the gift.

However, The Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis argued the backlash is unwarranted.

“There was no language that said it’s because she needs to lose weight or diet. There’s a hypersensitivity around that,” Zalis said during an interview with NBC.

Peloton have got people talking.

“Not all men are jerks.”

The “Peloton wife” also has an obsession with filming every step of her exercise regime, spurring some viewers to compare the advertisement to popular Netflix series Black Mirror, a show popular for predicting dystopian realities in the near-future.

Comments have been disabled from the advertisement’s YouTube video since the backlash.