The Peloton wife didn’t realize the ad she appeared in would cause so much controversy. Now, she's blaming her facial expression for the backlash.
In the ad, actress Monica Ruiz is shown vlogging a year’s worth of Peloton workouts after her husband gifts her the stationary bike. The ad was then deemed as sexist, tone-deaf, and alarming. However, Ruiz laughingly shouldered the criticism.
“Honestly, I think it was just my face. It was my fault,” she said recently on the Today Show. “My eyebrows look, like, worried?” She added, “It didn't really blow over as quickly as I thought it would.”
After the ad went viral, Ruiz declined interview requests, telling Today that she didn’t want to capitalize on the moment. She was hesitant when she was presented with the opportunity to shoot an ad for Ryan Reynolds’ company Aviation Gin. However, she ultimately took the opportunity, and the ad ended up being a spin-off of the Peloton wife.
“I'll just let everyone know I'm fine,” she said. “I'm okay—I'm not in rehab for mental health anywhere.” She continued, “I hope that people can just see me as an actress,” she said. “That's what I am. I hope people can remember that I'm not actually the Peloton lady and let me work other jobs.”
Peloton later responded to the criticism and praised its ad, saying, “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.”
Her ad cause Peloton’s stock to tumble, causing the company to lose almost $1 billion.
Reynolds went on to tell Fallon about his involvement with securing Ruiz for his ad:
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