Peloton, 'And Just Like That …,' and Chris Noth: all about Mr. Big's Peloton death and the following ad

The controversial 'Peloton Wife' ad from 2019 cost the company more than $1B in market value

The 2019 ad of a man gifting his wife a Peloton exercise bike sparked a wave of controversy, with some calling the ad sexist and fatphobic. The ad's backlash decreased the company's market value by $1.6B.

The fitness industry has seen a lot of fads—and Peloton might be one of them

Like SoulCycle and Tae Bo, Peloton has struggled to stay at the forefront of the fitness industry. Despite periods of incredibly high interest and high-profile users (like the Obamas), Peloton has lost many users since the pandemic ended—and has struggled to add more. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

In November 2025, Peloton issued a recall on more than 800,000 bike seats

Years after high-profile recalls on the treadmill due to reported injuries and even a death, Peloton issued another recall on the Peloton Plus bike seat. The company said it received three reports of the seatpost breaking.

In 2021, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby came in third place in 'Dancing With The Stars'

Rigsby has the largest social media following of any Peloton instructor as of this writing and is reportedly one of the highest-paid instructors. When he competed on the show in 2021, some fans felt like his cult-like following from Peloton kept him on the show, despite not being the strongest dancer.

The word 'Peloton' comes from the word for the main group of riders in a cycling race

The word itself is French for "ball," but became the inspiration for the word "platoon" in the 17th century to describe a group of soldiers. Now, it's a common cycling term and the main focal point in cycling races.

John Foley was the president of e-commerce at Barnes & Noble before founding Peloton

Foley worked for Barnes & Noble during the company's race against Amazon to dominate the e-reader market (Barnes & Noble had the Nook and Amazon had the Kindle). Foley says his time working for Barnes & Noble helped him learn the business of digital media, which is a core element of Peloton's business.

'Dr. Death' (4 Seasons)

Taking a unique angle on the true crime genre, this series explores medical professionals whose lust for fame and success stops at nothing—even others’ lives. Each season explores a different doctor and the systems that enabled them. Begin with the season one and the story of Christopher Duntsch, accused of maiming or killing several patients, including leaving one quadriplegic and another brain-dead.

Nike’s slogan was inspired by a death row inmate’s last words

Advertising superstar Dan Wieden of legendary advertising agency Widen+Kennedy said he got inspiration for Nike’s “Just do it” from an inmate’s last words on death row. Wieden said the way the inmate talked about facing uncertainty inspired him.

Bikram Choudhury's abuse dismantled his yoga empire

The guru popularized a form of hot yoga that followed a 26-point script. In the process, he became incredibly wealthy and ostentatious. In the early 2010s, formal accusations against him began, ranging from harassment to rape. He fled the US in 2017 to avoid paying his former lawyer a sexual harassment settlement. In the US, the "Bikram yoga" style has been divorced from its namesake but is still practiced, often as "hot yoga." Bikram still teaches yoga outside the country.

In 2004, he starred in a Victoria's Secret ad

You read that right. By 2004, Dylan was already known as a wild card, but even his most ardent devotees were confused by the sight of their artistic hero, by then in his 60s, appearing in a lingerie commercial. Was it a cynical cash grab or just another example of Dylan’s never-ending meta-commentary on stardom?

The greatest HBO performances, ranked

Carrie Bradshaw, Selina Meyer, Tony Soprano: The list of standout HBO characters is endless. The network is known for fantastic writing and even better acting from the likes of Michael K. Williams, Kieran Culkin, Edie Falco, and hundreds of other A-listers. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Meet the real-life 'Marty Supreme,' table tennis champ Marty Reisman

The hit 2025 film starring Timothée Chalamet is loosely based on the 1950s Manhattan ping-pong bad boy known for his decadent lifestyle and showmanship. Known as a hustler, Reisman would win 20 major titles representing the US around the world.

Some Gen Z men are obsessed with ‘American Psycho’

If you’ve ever spent any time on finance-themed meme pages, you’re likely already aware that today’s young men have a fascination with the serial killer main character of the movie "American Psycho." Find out what it is about the satirical representation of the late-1980s Wall Street investment banker-type that resonates with Gen Z men.

A writer's reflection on 'The Falling Man' - the man who fell from the World Trade Center

In an excerpt from his ‘Press Box’ interview with Bryan Curtis, writer Tom Junod discusses his Esquire story about the image of a man who fell or jumped from the North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001.

‘Sentimental Journeys’ first suggested the Central Park Five's innocence

In 1989, after a young white woman jogging in Central Park was brutally assaulted, police rushed to charge five Black and Hispanic teenagers with the crime. As outrage against the group grew publicly, Didion shared details of a flawed investigation and argued race-based hatred served as motivation against the youths.

Some 'Simpsons' fans believe the show exposed Jeffrey Epstein's private island

In a 2000 episode, Homer Simpson is captured by a cabal of powerful men and taken to a private island. After escaping, he posts online that "Some crazy creeps on an island somewhere are secretly running the world." Some believe the episode is referencing the private island operated by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that she gave "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening a foot massage at Epstein's insistence.

Why death is caused by a dearth of ATP

Though people die from many causes, this video makes the case that a lack of adenosine triphosphate production in the body is what kills almost all of us. Without ATP, physiological processes grind to a halt, and organs stop functioning.

Breaking down 'clinch covers,' a defining characteristic of '80s romance novels

As romance novels became more popular in the 1980s, publishers leaned into the books' steamier content by advertising it on their covers. Eventually, one specific kind of portrait emerged: the clinch cover, which featured a muscly man, usually shirtless, holding a woman against his chest. This episode from 99% Invisible explores the history of the trend and why it's largely disappeared from modern romance novels.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Jean-Paul Sartre famously wrote that 'Hell is—other people'

The line appears toward the end of the play "No Exit." One character, realizing that he's confined to live out the rest of his days with the play's other two characters, exclaims, "There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is—other people!"

Chris Lighty represented some of New York's biggest rappers

Lighty founded Violator—a record label and management firm—in 1996 and went on to represent Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, 50 Cent and others. In 2012, he was found dead on the patio of his apartment. The death was ruled a suicide, though many close to Lighty believed otherwise.

The Tonys got their name from Antoinette Perry

In 1946, trailblazing director Antoinette Perry died after decades of creative success. The following year, Perry's professional partner, Brock Pemberton, founded a series of awards to honor her. While handing out an award at the first ceremony, Pemberton referred to it using Antoinette's nickname of "Tony," and the name caught on.

Tina Turner had to change the lyrics referencing American Express in 'Private Dancer' to comply with British advertising laws

In her 1984 hit, "Private Dancer," Turner sings "American Express Will Do Nicely, Thank You." However, advertising laws in England prohibited mentions of companies, leading Turner to release another version of the song with the lyric "A Few Pounds Sterling Will Do Nicely, Thank You."

Support groups may not be private and can suddenly change focus

Sexual assault survivors that had gathered on a Facebook support group were shocked when administrators suddenly changed the group into one for sharing erotica. Its members were trolled, and ultimately, it was unclear whether its creators had planned for this shocking shift or if the group had been hacked. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Who is the woman behind today's CPR doll?

According to a recent survey, about half of Americans know how to do CPR—many of whom learned on a mannequin called Rescue Annie. It turns out that this training doll may be based off a woman who became famous after drowning in the Seine, after...

What made Secretariat, one of racing's most dominant horses, so exceptional

No horse had won the Belmont, the "Test of the Champion," by 31-lengths prior to 1973 when Secretariat did it, and no one has done it since. In this New York Race Association article, jockey Ron Turcotte recounts his iconic race and provides his unique bond with his horse. He also reflects on Secretariat's post-Triple Crown career, noting how he matured later on.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Prince's sexually explicit 1984 track 'Darling Nikki' attracted the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center, an advocacy group that inspired the Parental Advisory sticker, even though the song ends with a Christian message.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Neutron stars, the remains of some massive stars after they explode in a supernova, are the densest directly observable objects in the universe.

American short story writer Flannery O'Connor raised 40 peacocks, which became potent symbols for her fiction's elegant violence

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova—a jazz-influenced Brazilian genre—to the US

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.