Sex and the City: Cast Feuds, Reboot & Samantha Cameo

For six seasons and two films, Sex and the City gave audiences four friends navigating love, fashion, and Manhattan. What fans didn’t see was the simmering tension between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall—rift that would ultimately determine whether Samantha Jones ever returned, reshape the franchise’s future, and play out in public statements, deleted interviews, and one famously awkward cameo shoot.

Original Run: 1998–2004 · Seasons: 6 · Creator: Darren Star · Network: HBO · Main Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

The table below summarizes key identifiers and availability for the franchise.

Who turned down the role of Carrie in Sex and the City?

Before Sarah Jessica Parker became synonymous with Carrie Bradshaw, multiple actresses passed on the role that would define their careers. The part eventually went to Parker, but the casting process wasn’t straightforward.

Hollywood actresses offered the role

According to industry reports, several established actresses were approached before Parker signed on. The HBO series needed someone willing to play an outspoken, sexually frank columnist navigating Manhattan’s dating scene—a character type that reportedly gave some performers pause. Parker’s eventual acceptance and the cultural impact of the role suggest she brought qualities the producers specifically wanted, though exact details of who else was approached remain limited in public record.

Reasons for turning it down

While comprehensive documentation of rejection reasons isn’t publicly available, industry observers note that television roles in the late 1990s didn’t carry the prestige they do today. A six-season commitment to a show focused on single women in their thirties was considered a risk by some in Hollywood at the time. Parker, who had appeared in films including The Family Man (2000) and (opposite Robert De Niro), reportedly saw what others didn’t: the creative freedom and the built-in ensemble that made Sex and the City distinctive.

The implication: Parker’s willingness to commit where others hesitated proved decisive, and the series’ eventual cultural dominance validated her gamble.

Why didn’t Kim Cattrall like SJP?

The friction between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker didn’t appear overnight. According to reporting from Elle (entertainment and culture publication), tensions dated back to the show’s early seasons, with salary disparities serving as an early flashpoint.

Timeline of Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall feud

Parker received an executive producer title during the series’ second season, which increased her salary to $300,000 per episode. That pay bump reportedly prompted Cattrall to negotiate for higher compensation, creating reported strains between the two leads. Crew members, according to accounts in entertainment press, said castmates wouldn’t sit with Cattrall at mealtimes—a detail that illustrates how the salary rift extended beyond contract negotiations into daily set dynamics.

In 2004, Cattrall stated on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross that money was a reason the show ended after six seasons, feeling it was time to share the financial windfall. By November 2009, however, Parker told Business Insider (business and culture outlet) she adored Cattrall and wouldn’t have done the second film without her. That warmth didn’t last.

October 2017 became the breaking point. Cattrall told Piers Morgan they were “never friends” and had a “toxic relationship,” adding that Parker “could have been nicer.” She made these comments to explain her refusal to participate in a third Sex and the City film that had been in development. On February 1, 2018, Parker responded publicly on What What Happens Live. Nine days later, Cattrall called Parker “cruel” after Parker had offered condolences following Cattrall’s brother’s death—comments that widened the public rift considerably.

Public statements

Both women issued multiple public statements over the following years. In February 2022, Parker said Cattrall was not asked for And Just Like That due to the public history of her feelings. In June 2022, Parker described the feud portrayal as “painful” on a Hollywood Reporter podcast (industry trade publication), denying a feud existed and blaming the studio for the third film’s cancellation. Cattrall responded in September 2022, telling the Los Angeles Times she had “no regrets” about condemning Parker, directing readers to “Google” the subject if they wanted to know more.

The pattern: Both women have incentives to shape public perception around a franchise that defined both careers, making verification of their competing narratives difficult.

Is Sex in the City coming back?

The original series ended in 2004 after six seasons, but the franchise continued through two films and, eventually, a reboot. After three seasons, And Just Like That came to its conclusion in 2023, marking an end to HBO’s Sex and the City universe—for now.

Reboot status after three seasons

The reboot premiered on HBO Max in December 2021, introducing new characters including Che Diaz (played by Sara Ramirez) and LTW (Karen Pittman). The show ran for three seasons, with its final episode airing in 2023. Unlike the original series, And Just Like That featured Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda without Samantha, who was written out of the narrative early in season one. Cattrall publicly stated she was never asked to join the reboot, while Parker indicated Cattrall wasn’t invited due to the public history between them.

And Just Like That end

MAX (formerly HBO Max) announced in 2023 that the reboot would not continue beyond its third season. No official reason was given for the cancellation, though viewership data and critical reception were mixed compared to the original series. The show handled Samantha’s absence by having the character move to London, with Cattrall eventually filming a cameo appearance—a single phone call scene with Parker’s Carrie that generated significant media attention when it aired.

The catch: The cameo resolved a question fans had asked since the reboot’s announcement—would Samantha ever return?—but filmed under conditions that suggested the underlying tension hadn’t been resolved.

Why was Mr. Big killed off?

Chris Noth’s character John McFadden—known universally as Mr. Big—was killed off in the first season of And Just Like That, a decision that shocked viewers who remembered his apparent happy ending with Carrie in the original series and the 2008 film.

Chris Noth’s comments on being axed

Chris Noth has publicly commented on his exit from the franchise. In interviews following the reboot, Noth indicated he understood the creative decision even as it removed his character from the show. The actor, who played Mr. Big across the original series and both films, acknowledged that the reboot needed to chart its own course, which sometimes meant moving away from legacy characters. His departure was written as a cycling accident that killed Mr. Big—a choice that divided fans between those who found it realistic and those who felt it undid the original series’ conclusion.

Impact on the series

Mr. Big’s death forced Carrie’s storyline in And Just Like That to address grief and widowhood, themes the original series never explored with a main character. The storyline gave Parker material focused on moving forward while honoring what came before. Whether this narrative choice succeeded with audiences depended on their attachment to the Carrie-Big relationship, but it did allow the show to address mortality and change—realities even fictional Manhattanites couldn’t avoid.

The catch: removing Mr. Big also removed Noth from any future storylines, including the possibility of reconciling with Carrie again—a fan hope that the original series had left open.

Why does Carrie call him Big?

The nickname “Mr. Big” is one of Sex and the City’s most recognizable elements, but its origin is rooted in both character psychology and practical Hollywood history.

Origin of Mr. Big nickname

In the Sex and the City book by Candace Bushnell that inspired the series, Carrie called one of her loves “Big” because she never learned his real name. The character appeared in Bushnell’s newspaper column as “Big” before becoming the TV Mr. Big, and the nickname stuck through all six seasons and two films. For Carrie, the name represented mystery and projection—she filled “Big” with her own hopes and fears rather than learning who he actually was.

Character background

Mr. Big was portrayed as a wealthy, somewhat mysterious businessman who first encountered Carrie in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room. Their relationship was defined by on-again, off-again dynamics that frustrated and fascinated viewers. Unlike Carrie’s other romantic interests, Big represented a specific fantasy of Manhattan success—an older man with resources and sophistication. The character’s arc across the series showed him eventually committing to Carrie, making his death in the reboot a significant narrative departure from where the original series left him.

The pattern: Big’s nickname worked because it embodied what Carrie didn’t know about men she was attracted to, and the character’s eventual full name—John McFadden—felt anticlimactic precisely because “Big” had become more identity than any legal name could be.

For longtime fans of the series, the Parker-Cattrall rift represents more than celebrity gossip—it determined whether one of television’s most iconic friend groups would ever reunite. The answer, after years of speculation, was a single phone call filmed without the two leads ever being in the same room. That awkward truth says more about the feud’s legacy than any public statement either woman has made.

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The feud between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall not only scrapped a third movie but also shaped the And Just Like That cast for the And Just Like That reboot.

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