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If you’ve ever taken a Kendall Toole class, you know exactly what it feels like when she locks eyes with the camera and delivers one of her signature no-nonsense pep talks.
That fiery energy, that refusal to let you quit on yourself, that unmistakable voice cutting through your exhaustion to remind you that you’re stronger than your excuses—it’s what made her one of Peloton’s most beloved instructors.
And now, more than two years after she called out a user with an inappropriate username during a live class, that moment is having its viral renaissance, and Toole couldn’t be prouder.
The Kendall Toole moment that started it all
Let’s rewind to August 2023. Kendall Toole was in the middle of instructing a live Peloton class when she spotted something that immediately shifted her energy.
A class member had logged in with the username “pedal-file”—a crude play on words that Toole was absolutely not going to let slide.
“Get them banned. Get them banned. We don’t do that here,” Toole said in the class. “Oh, now I’m pissed. Find out who that is, and get them banned. We don’t do that. I ain’t the one, baby. I take no disrespect.”
For those who know Toole’s coaching style, this response was quintessentially her—direct, protective of her community, and completely unafraid to call out behavior that crosses the line. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t soften her words, didn’t let it slide.
She handled it exactly how her devoted followers would expect: with boundaries firmly in place.
The viral clip is catching a second wave online
Fast forward to February 2025, and that clip is suddenly everywhere.
One X user wrote “This being the meme of 2026” alongside the video in a post shared on Feb. 5, and the fitness community—along with the broader internet—ran with it.
Toole herself reposted the user’s clip on Feb. 6 with a statement that perfectly captured her reaction: “Never been so proud to have said this in my life. We stand on business, get them banned yall.”
The former Peloton star didn’t just acknowledge the viral moment—she fully embraced it. She added the hashtag #getembanned to her X account and continued engaging with fans as the clip spread across social media platforms.
“ok wait I am so honored… I decree 2026 is the year of #getthembanned because we are not the ones,” she wrote in a separate X post.
On Instagram, Toole expanded on what this moment means to her in a broader context.
“Not on my 2026 bingo card that ‘GET EM BANNED’ moment from my old job would be viral on X…but given the state of things I must say I am pleased,” she wrote in an Instagram caption.
But she didn’t stop there.
True to her role as a motivational force in the fitness world, Toole turned the viral moment into a message for her community: “Let this be the year we stand up, hold our boundaries and keep our standards high,” she continued on Instagram.
The Kendall Toole pep talks keep coming
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Rare Impact Fund
As the “Get Em Banned” clip circulated, fans began resurfacing other memorable Kendall Toole moments—specifically, her legendary motivational speeches that have carried countless riders through their toughest workouts.
Another X user posted a second clip of one of her pep talks during an old Peloton class where she called someone out for quitting halfway through class.
If you’ve ever been tempted to clip out of a class early, this one might hit a little too close to home.
“If you feel like quitting right now, I know some of you — I saw one person jump out of class,” she said as she cycled. “I hate that because if you quit here, what the (heck) are you gonna do out there?”
She continued with the kind of real talk that made her classes appointment viewing for so many.
“If you allow that to even be an option, you’re gonna get it handed to you. You will quit. You will fail. Because you made it an option. We don’t quit,” she added.
This is the Kendall Toole philosophy distilled to its essence. It’s not just about finishing a workout—it’s about building the mental muscle to show up for yourself when things get hard. For her dedicated followers, these pep talks aren’t just motivational soundbites; they’re mantras that extend far beyond the bike or the boxing ring.
Toole left Peloton in 2024 to start her own fitness app
For those who may have missed the news, Kendall Toole is no longer with Peloton.
The prominent fitness instructor, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur left the company in 2024 to forge her own path. She now offers strength training, boxing and cycling classes through her own platform, NKO Club.
The timing of this viral moment couldn’t be better for Toole’s new venture. As her videos continued to circulate online, she took to X to promote her fitness app with the same energy that made the original clip so shareable.
“A place where we take NO disrespect because we AREN’T the ones….” she wrote alongside a link to www.getembanned.com — which redirects the user to her NKO Club website.
It’s a savvy move that perfectly encapsulates Toole’s brand: taking a moment of righteous boundary-setting and turning it into a rallying cry for her community. The redirect isn’t just clever marketing—it’s an invitation to join a space built on the same principles she demonstrated in that viral clip.
What this means for the fitness community
For fitness enthusiasts who have followed Toole’s career, this viral moment represents something bigger than just internet fame. It’s a reminder of why so many people connected with her coaching style in the first place.
In a world of polished, sanitized content, Toole’s willingness to be real, to set boundaries publicly, and to stand firm in her values resonates deeply.
Her message about holding boundaries and keeping standards high isn’t just applicable to online usernames—it’s a philosophy that extends to how we treat ourselves in our fitness journeys.
Don’t quit on yourself. Don’t accept disrespect. Show up even when it’s hard.
Whether you’re a longtime Kendall Toole devotee who followed her from Peloton to NKO Club, or you’re just discovering her through these viral clips, one thing is clear: she’s not the one, baby. And she never will be.
