Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall’s long-running feud has come to the forefront in recent weeks thanks to Sex and the City’s revival series, And Just Like That.
Kim’s much-loved character Samantha was notably absent from the show after the actor made her feelings toward the cast and crew incredibly clear in a series of scathing comments.
Insisting that she’d put Samantha to bed indefinitely after Sex and the City’s second movie in 2010, Kim repeatedly lashed out at Sarah Jessica specifically in various interviews and social media posts.
In a bombshell chat with Piers Morgan in 2017, Kim insisted that she had “never been friends” with her old castmates, before adding: “This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she could've been nicer. I really think she could've been nicer. I don't know what her issue is."
The following year, Kim publicly called out Sarah Jessica again after she commented her condolences on Kim’s Instagram post about her brother’s death.
“My Mom asked me today ‘When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?' Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,” Kim wrote at the time. “Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona."
Sarah Jessica did not issue a response, but two months later she insisted that “there is no catfight” as she suggested that their feud was one-sided.
"I have never uttered an unkind, unsupportive, unfriendly word, so I would love to redefine it,” Sarah Jessica said. “I’ve always held Kim’s work in high regard and always appreciative of her contributions. If she chooses not to do the third movie, there’s not a lot I can do to change her mind and we must respect it. That’s the only thing I’ve ever said about it, you know?”
Which is why Sarah Jessica’s decision to speak about Kim earlier this month shocked fans, with the actor directly addressing their public fallout off the back of the And Just Like That finale.
Sarah Jessica had been asked if she would be “OK” with Kim returning as Samantha in subsequent seasons of the show, and Sarah Jessica admitted that she wouldn’t be.
“I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared,” she told Variety. “I haven’t participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.”
“There’s a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim,” Sarah Jessica added. “Samantha’s not gone. Samantha’s present, and I think was handled with such respect and elegance.”
Now, less than two weeks later, Sarah Jessica has addressed Kim’s absence from the show again as she opened up about some friendships being “too painful” to maintain.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Sarah Jessica explained: “Samantha is not gone. The actress that played the role is no longer playing that role, but people are absent from your life when you don't want them to be.”
“I thought that in typical Michael Patrick fashion, he threaded it through with grace and dignity and respect and love and affection for that character,” she added.
Seemingly making a not-so-subtle reference to her own feelings toward Kim, Sarah Jessica reflected: “I thought it mimicked many friendships that challenge each other and struggle and want to remain connected in a way, because it's too painful.”
Kim has not discussed the revival, but has been caught liking tweets that lauded her decision not to participate in it.
One particularly shady tweet to get Kim’s virtual seal of approval branded the show “trashy,” with a fan writing: “So proud of @KimCattrall for skipping the trashy S&TC reboot and doing @HIMYFonHulu. She’s wonderful, and so is @HilaryDuff.”
So proud of @KimCattrall for skipping the trashy S&TC reboot and doing @HIMYFonHulu. She’s wonderful, and so is @HilaryDuff 👌🏼 If you have 48 minutes to spare, go ahead and watch the first two episodes…I may even rewatch them before next week. Challenge accepted!
Meanwhile, Kim wasn’t Sarah Jessica’s only ex-castmate to get a mention in the interview, with the star also addressing John Corbett lying about his involvement in And Just Like That.
The show’s writers previously dragged the actor for misleading viewers. John played a fan-favorite love interest for Carrie, Aidan Shaw, in Sex and the City, as well as the second movie.
John had sparked huge excitement last April when he told Page Six that he would be “doing the show,” even going so far as to say that Aidan will appear in “quite a few episodes.”
Needless to say, when the series finale aired and there hadn’t even been a mention of Aidan, confused fans felt incredibly let down.
And it was a situation that AJLT writer Julie Rottenberg felt particularly strongly about, telling Deadline: “John Corbett should be writing personal apology notes. We didn’t say anything.”
Showrunner Michael Patrick King added that they “never intended” for Aidan to appear.
While the show’s creatives were clearly unhappy with John’s antics, Sarah Jessica admitted that she found his joke “delightful” and that he had reached out directly to her to apologize.
“He actually reached out very kindly, because he’s nothing if not a gentleman, and apologized for doing that as a joke,” Sarah Jessica shared.
She then appeared to stop herself from revealing that Aidan could return in the next season, adding: “Having said that, I think he would be… I’m not gonna… All of it is possible. All of it is possible.”
Another surprising revelation from the Andy Cohen chat was that Sarah Jessica, who also served as an executive producer on And Just Like That, had only watched the first two episodes of the show.
The star dropped the bombshell when she was asked about the backlash toward new character Che Diaz, who has proven to be incredibly divisive amid their relationship with Carrie’s best friend Miranda — and the subsequent breakdown of Miranda’s marriage.
But it’s not just their love life that made Che unlikable, with many fans complaining that the nonbinary comic was actually the show’s way of overcompensating for the original series’ lack of diversity and that most of Che’s jokes felt more like an educational “TED talk.”
In fact, And Just Like That even showed Che performing a comedy special for Netflix, and while the fictional audience laughed hysterically onscreen, those watching at home were baffled by the somewhat lack of comedy.
“Che’s comedy is just… not funny?? Who wrote their stand-up and thought it actually played out like a real comedy show??” one viewer asked at the time. “OK, so Che Diaz’s ‘standup comedy’ is just a queer Ted talk?” another wrote.
So Sarah Jessica was put in a tricky situation when she was explicitly asked if she found Che Diaz funny, but she dodged the question like a pro as she sheepishly admitted instead: “I’m going to make a confession to everybody… I have not seen episodes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 yet. It's my problem.”
“I feel that I’m not in a position to declare whether Che’s comedy is funny or not,” Sarah went on. “Nor does it matter what I think.”
While she may have pleaded ignorance when it came to Che’s comedic talent, one criticism that Sarah Jessica did respond to was Carrie not calling an ambulance for her husband, Big, when he suffered a heart attack.
As this happened in the show’s premiere episode, she was able to give her two cents as she insisted: “Of course she called 911, didn’t you see the people behind moving the body?”
Acknowledging that her character was never actually seen reaching for a phone, Sarah Jessica explained: “It’s suspended animation, this moment where everything stops and then whatever collapsing of time that happens does not stop her from taking care of somebody, in a fashion that you would want and expect from your partner, or husband or wife.”
“In my head, she struggled through this moment and tried to get him to be responsive and then she came to her senses,” she detailed. “I’m going to say after about two to three seconds, and then of course she called 911 and got all the help she needed from professionals.”
It is yet to be confirmed whether And Just Like That will return for a second season, but it appears likely.
Both Sarah Jessica and creator Michael have openly shared their hope and willingness to film more episodes, with Sarah Jessica telling Variety: “There’s a calendar and you don’t want to let too much time pass. There feels like there’s momentum.”
And HBO content chief Casey Bloys also seems happy to renew the revival, explaining: “In terms of viewership, it’s been phenomenal. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s doing in terms of reception.”
Here’s hoping that Sarah Jessica manages to watch the rest of Season 1 before the second season kicks off.
