Fitness equipment giant Peloton is being accused of banning any mention of the anti-Joe Biden hashtag #LetsGoBrandon from its fitness platform. The woke company is fine with leftist hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #DefundThePolice.
Peloton has reportedly been sending users an error message when they try to connect with other users on the company’s app by using the hashtag, #LetsGoBrandon, according to a report by PJ Media.
“Let’s Go, Brandon” has become a popular rallying cry known for being synonymous with “Fuck Joe Biden” since early October, when an NBC reporter at a NASCAR Xfinity Series race incorrectly stated that fans in the stands were chanting, “Let’s Go, Brandon” following a victory by driver Brandon Brown, when they were actually chanting, “Fuck Joe Biden.”
Joe Biden (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
After that, Peloton users, who can add tags or select existing tags to connect with other users in the Peloton community, started adding the “LetsGoBrandon” hashtag to their profiles.
The fitness company then apparently banned the user of the tag by removing them from users’ profiles. Peloton users are now instead receiving an error message, which reads, “This tag does not meet our guidelines,” reports New York Post.
It remains unclear when or why the hashtag was removed.
Twitter users have also taken to social media to share their dismay, accusing Peloton of censoring its members and taking political sides.
“Peloton deleted let’s go Brandon tag,” one Twitter user wrote.
“[Peloton] Please stop deleting the #letsgobrandon handle,” another tweeted. “I paid handsomely for your equipment and monthly fees. A central selling point of Peloton is to connect with like-minded people. Conservatives use your service and have every right to connect with each other.”
“[Peloton] Let’s Go Brandon & F your woke equipment,” another declared.
Others pointed to that Peloton had permitted hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #DefundThePolice.
“Why’d [Peloton] delete our #LetsGoBrandon leaderboard tag? I’ve endured all their woke celebrations, and was nice to actually have OUR community to High Five. What happened to diversity, Peloton?!” one Twitter user said.
“Peloton removed #letsgobrandon from their leaderboard tags. I’m sure they would’ve protected Trump from insult the same way,” another quipped.
“Sell your Peloton,” another Twitter user urged. “Won’t let users use #LetsGoBrandon or #AllLivesMatter but does allow #BlackLivesMatter.”
“Peloton suppresses free speech and allows only left-wing political correct words. Fuck you [Peloton],” another wrote.
This wouldn’t be Peloton’s first time engaging in a form of corporate virtue signaling.
Last year, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the company said it would donate $500,000 to the NAACP’s legal defense fund — joining companies like Facebook and Netflix, signaling their support for the nationwide protests that took place last summer.
“Black lives matter,” proclaimed Peloton CEO John Foley on Twitter at the time. “This week, what’s become clear to me is we must ensure this is an anti-racist organization.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
