And Just Like That’s Biggest Controversies: From Big’s Death to Che Diaz
Max's attempt to revive Sex and the City as And Just Like That has resulted in plenty of headlines.
Sex and the City, which premiered in 1998, focused on Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her dating life in New York alongside her friends Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall). After six seasons on HBO and two movies, the hit series was revived as And Just Like That for Max in December 2021.
Fans were not thrilled when news broke about Cattrall's absence from the project before the premiere. The decision came after Cattrall and Parker previously hinted at their falling out, which ultimately got written into And Just Like That.
During season 1, Carrie and Samantha, who hadn’t stayed in touch after Carrie fired Samantha as her publicist, sent each other a few text messages. Cattrall then shocked viewers with a season 2 cameo. In the August 2023 episode, Samantha called Carrie after missing the group's "Last Supper" party.
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According to multiple outlets, Cattrall didn't interact with Parker or showrunner Michael Patrick King on set and taped the scene by herself.
Keep scrolling for more of the offscreen scandals and controversies surrounding And Just Like That:
Samantha's Initial Absence and Kim Cattrall's Subsequent Cameo
“The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,” Cattrall told Variety in 2022 about her decision not to join the cast. “I was never asked to be part of the reboot. I made my feelings clear after the possible third movie, so I found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.”
King later addressed how the divide between Cattrall and Parker inspired the onscreen story for And Just Like That.
"I didn't want to pretend that there was an absence — or wasn't an absence. I wanted to reflect the reality of the fact that there was one not joining. Story wise, I came up with the idea that Samantha's in London because we didn't want to kill her. We love Samantha. That's ridiculous," he exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2021. “And life goes on when friendships break up over incidental things that become bigger things. What happens when a friend[ship] breaks up? You still remember the good stuff and you reach out every now and then, but there's no intention of suddenly, 'Boom, there she is again.' It's about that friendship between those four women that’s important.”
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Mr. Big's Death Gets Overshadowed by Chris Noth's Personal Life
During the season 1 premiere of And Just Like That, Carrie's husband Mr. Big (Chris Noth) was killed off after having a heart attack following a Peloton ride. Fans of the fictional couple were upset by how and why And Just Like That killed Big.
That same month, Noth was accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Noth, who has been married to Tara Wilson since 2012, denied the allegations at the time.
In response to the scandal, Max scrapped scenes Noth filmed for a future episode of AJLT. He was also fired from The Equalizer and has remained largely out of the spotlight.
Noth broke his silence in August 2023, telling USA Today, “I strayed on my wife, and it’s devastating to her and not a very pretty picture. What it isn’t is a crime. There’s nothing I can say to change anyone’s mind when you have that kind of a tidal wave."
The actor said he wanted to continue booking roles in order to support his family.
“I’m not going to lay down and just say [my career is] over. It’s a salacious story, but it’s just not a true one. And I can’t just say ‘Well, OK, that’s it for me’ because of that. I’m an actor. I have other things that I want to do creatively. And I have children to support," Noth, who shares two sons with Wilson explained. "I can’t just rest on my laurels. So yeah, I have enough to let a year drift, but I don’t know how to gauge or judge getting back into the club, the business, because corporations are frightened."
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'SATC' Writer Candace Bushnell's Thoughts on the Revival
Two months after AJLT premiered, author Candace Bushnell weighed in on the story lines. (Bushnell penned the columns that inspired the original '90s series.)
"I'm really startled by a lot of the decisions made in the reboot," she told The New Yorker in February 2022. "You know, it's a television product, done with [And Just Like That creator] Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker, who have both worked with HBO a lot in the past. HBO decided to put this franchise back into their hands for a variety of reasons, and this is what they came up with."
Bushnell continued: "I mean, Carrie Bradshaw ended up being a quirky woman who married a really rich guy. And that's not my story, or any of my friends' stories. But TV has its own logic."
Aidan's Return
Despite Carrie and Aidan's relationship ending on the OG series, John Corbett’s carpenter character made a brief appearance in the second film, which opened the door for potential appearances on AJLT. Ahead of season 1’s debut, Corbett made comments that implied he was on the show.
“[John] actually reached out very kindly, because he's nothing if not a gentleman, and apologized for doing that as a joke,” Parker said on Watch What Happens Live in February 2022. “And then I was like, ‘No, no, no, I mean, it's a free country, first of all, and second of all, I thought it was kind of delightful and fun.’”
Parker later confirmed that Aidan would actually be involved in the second season. Aidan returned and quickly won Carrie — and viewers — over again with his charm. But by the end of the season, Carrie and Aidan once again went their separate ways.
Not everyone was thrilled by the narrative decision, especially after King teased a different outcome, telling The New York Times in June 2023, “I didn’t bring Aidan back to fail.”
It remains to be seen if Corbett will reprise the role in future seasons.
Sara Ramirez's Arrival … and Departure
Che received a lackluster welcome at best. As sparks started to fly between Che and Miranda, viewers became furious with the character and the show for allowing Miranda to cheat on her husband, Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), while exploring her sexuality.
"I’m very aware of the hate that exists online, but I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry. And that’s way more important to me because I’m a real human being," Ramirez explained to The New York Times in February 2022. "I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created. We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves."
Nixon also defended Miranda's interest in Che, saying on The Drew Barrymore Show one month prior, "I think some people are not loving seeing these characters maybe off-kilter, but I love that. ... Out of crises come really productive thing. You're not young anymore, but you're not old, either. And you still have time to make sure that your life is the way you want it to be."
After the characters continued to explore their relationship on season 2, Daily Mail reported in January 2024 that Ramirez was dropped from And Just Like That for being unlikable.
Ramirez didn't address the news at the time but they did take to social media to call out the film and television industry for punishing actors who have spoken out in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Our industry is so duplicitous. While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again,” they wrote via Instagram. “While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go.”
In the post, Ramirez used the past tense while discussing her role as Che on AJLT. Max has yet to confirm Ramirez’s exit or return, but AJLT will be back for season 3.
