Showtime’s ‘Billions’ Premiere Features Character Suffering Heart Attack on a Peloton, as Stock Slides

A character from Showtime’s Billions series suffered a Peloton-induced heart attack during Sunday night’s episode. Peloton’s stock dropped shortly after that. The scare on the show comes just weeks after Sex and the City‘s Mr. Big character died while riding a Peloton in the series sequel And Just Like That.

***Spoiler Alert*** the following contains details that may be a spoiler for Billions fans who have yet to see Sunday night’s episode.

In a scene during Sunday’s episode of Billions, character Mike “Wags” Wagner (David Costabile) suffers a heart attack while riding an exercise bike, and tells the EMT characters, “I’m doing a Peloton class.”

But unlike Sex and the City‘s Mr. Big character (played by actor Chris Noth), Wags survives, and even goes on to make a reference to Mr. Big’s death in And Just Like That.

Another popular TV show's storyline has #Peloton once again in the fictional crosshairs.
Like the real-world drama that followed the "Sex and the City" spinoff shocker, the show "Billions" has created a health related dustup around the popular work out bike#SPOILERALERT pic.twitter.com/dCQ12vsGuR

— Morning Express with Robin Meade (@MorningExp) January 24, 2022

In another scene, Wags returns to the office, where he tells his employees in the show, “I’m not going out like Mr. Big.”

On Monday morning, Peloton’s stock dropped. The company’s stock also took a dive following Mr. Big’s on-screen Peloton-related demise.

Peloton reacted to the Billions scene by releasing a statement disclosing that the company did not approve the use of its brand or Intellectual property in the show.

We get TV shows want to include @onepeloton to get people talking, but to be clear, we did *not* agree for our brand or IP to be used on @SHO_Billions or provide any equipment. As the show itself points out, cardio-vascular exercise helps people lead long, happy lives.

— Peloton (@onepeloton) January 23, 2022

Meanwhile, the executive producers for Billions say the scene featuring Wags suffering an attack on a Peloton was written and shot last spring, months before Mr. Big’s onscreen death, and that the line in which Wags mentions Mr. Big was overdubbed recently in post-production, according to a report by the New York Times.

“We added the line because it was what Wags would say,” they said.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.