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Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall played best friends on Sex and The City, but their relationship off the show has been plagued with drama for years. Buzz about the ladies’ history reignited in late 2020, when the Sex and the City revival series called And Just Like That… was first announced. Original cast members Sarah, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis all agreed to star in the new series, but Kim opted not to return. In fact, in the years leading up to the development of the sequel series, Kim was very open about how she had no desire to portray her SATC character, Samantha, ever again. She’s also publicly slammed SJP in the press, and even said that they were “never friends.” But on May 31, 2023, a spokesperson for Max revealed to The NY Post that Kim would be making a return in season 2. Obviously, this new development comes after years of ups and downs between Sarah and Kim, so we’re taking a look back at their complicated history together.
History Of Kim & SJP’s Friendship
Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker shooting a scene for ‘Sex and the City.’ (©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall met when they were cast as Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones, respectively, on Sex and the City. The show aired from 1998 until 2004, followed by two feature films in 2008 and 2010. The show also starred Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis as Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York. The four ladies played the best of friends on the show.
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When SATC ended in 2004, Kim hinted that money was to blame. “I felt after six years it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City,” she explained. “When they didn’t seem keen on that, I thought it was time to move on.” It was reported that SJP had a much higher salary than the other women, and rumors surfaced that this led to tension between her and Kim.
However, for years, both women made sure to publicly shut down any rumors of a feud. “Honestly, we are all friends and I wish I saw more of Kim,” SJP said in May 2008. “She mentioned money and no one should vilify her for it. People made a decision that we had vilified her.”
In 2009 — one year after the first Sex and the City movie came out — rumors surfaced that Kim, Cynthia and Kristin weren’t even speaking to Kim, which Sarah made sure to shut down in an interview with Elle. “I don’t think anybody wants to believe that I love Kim,” she explained. “I wouldn’t have done the [first] movie without her. Didn’t and wouldn’t.” Kim doubled down on this in a Jan. 2010 interview with Daily Mail.
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“I think Sarah was right — people don’t want to believe that we get on,” she said. “They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with each other. It makes for juicy gossip and copy. The truth of us being friends and getting along and happily doing our jobs together is nowhere near as newsworthy. I think Sarah is fantastic. She is a born leader and guides the crew and cast in such a strong but gentle way. She and I are sick of this. It’s exhausting talking about it, and a real bore.”
She discussed the rumored ‘tension’ once again in an interview with Marie Claire that same month. “The press has to put women in these boxes,” she continued. “Rather than show them as the movie portrays them — working together and being powerful. Things just have to be explosive for no other reason than for people’s imaginations.”
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall on ‘Sex and the City.’ (©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Unfortunately, things publicly turned sour between Kim and SJP after news broke that plans for a third Sex and the City movie had been scrapped in 2017. “It’s not just disappointing that we don’t get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for the audience that has been so vocal about wanting another movie,” Sarah told Extra in Sept. 2017. This was followed by reports claiming that Kim had made “outrageous demands” that could not be met, which reportedly led to the movie not being made.
Kim denied these claims on Twitter. “The only DEMAND I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film,” Kim explained. “And that was back in 2016.” She expanded on this explanation during an interview with Piers Morgan for Life Stories in Oct. 2017. Kim insisted that her decision to not do SATC 3 had nothing to do with money or wanting more scenes, but was simply because she was at a time in her life when she was ready to start another chapter and leave Samantha Jones behind.
However, it was when Piers asked whether she was still friendly with any other women from SATC that things took quite a turn. Kim said that the women had “never been friends,” and she specifically called out SJP. “This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker,” she said. “I think she could’ve been nicer. I really think she could’ve been nicer. I don’t know what her issue is.”
SJP took issue with Kim’s recollection of their time together. “I found it really upsetting,” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in Feb. 2018, referencing Kim’s Piers Morgan interview. “That’s not the way I recall our experience. So, it’s sad, but I think what always ties us together is this singular experience. It was professional, but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives.”
Later that month, Kim shared the heartbreaking news that her brother had passed away, and Sarah expressed her condolences on social media. “Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx,” she wrote. However, Kim was not pleased to hear from her former co-star, and she let her know it.
“I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @SarahJessicaParker,” Kim clapped back. “My mom asked me today, ‘When will that Sarah Jessica Parker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?’ Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. 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.”
However, SJP stayed neutral and refused to publicly bad mouth Kim. “I never responded to the conversation Kim had with Piers Morgan where she said things that were really hurtful about me,” Sarah told People. “We had this experience and it was amazing, and nothing will ever be like it. We had a connection with an audience and we had a connection with the city and with this crew, and we got to tell these crazy stories with each other. So I don’t want to mess with that. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. So, there was no fight — it was completely fabricated, because I never actually responded. And I won’t because she said what she needed to say and that is her privilege.”
She doubled down on this statement during the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018. “I would like to remind everyone that there was no catfight,” the actress told Vulture. “I have never uttered an unkind, unsupportive, unfriendly word, so I would love to redefine it. I also want to remind everybody that there were four women on set and I spent equal time with all of them, so this was not a set with two women who didn’t get along. I’ve always held Kim’s work in high regard and was always appreciative of her contributions.”
Other ‘SATC’ Stars Weigh In
For the most part, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have stayed out of this public back and forth between Kim and SJP. However, when it was revealed that Sex and the City 3 wouldn’t be happening, Kristin couldn’t help but vent her frustration on social media. She didn’t reference Kim directly, but was vocally upset about how things went down.
“I wish that we could have made the final chapter, on our own terms, to complete the stories of our characters,” Kristin wrote. “It is deeply frustrating not to be able to share that chapter (beautifully written by MPK) with all of you. So we will just have our memories, but please know that all of the love and support for us through the years is felt by us and we are so grateful for all of you!”
Meanwhile, Cynthia was asked about the feud when she appeared on The View in June 2018. At the time, she was running for governor of New York, and co-host Sunny Hostin jokingly asked if part of her platform would be solving the issues between SJP and Kim. “We’re talking about [Donald] Trump getting the Nobel Peace Prize for this North Korea Summit, is there any way you can pull a summit together with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall so that we can have a Sex and the City 3?” Sunny questioned. Cynthia kept things professional, though, and jokingly responded, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to film it in Albany.” Her response referenced the location of the incumbent candidate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s, mansion in upstate New York. She did not comment further on the feud.
Meanwhile, Chris Noth, who played Mr. Big on SATC, also refused to comment. In Feb. 2018, a TMZ reporter asked him how he thought his character would respond to the feud, and he simply rolled up his car window to avoid answering. One co-star who did weigh in, though, was Jason Lewis. Jason played Samantha’s boyfriend on SATC, but took Sarah’s side IRL.
“I have to say that Sarah was always just so lovely and such a consummate professional and I think that people should remember their graciousness and the things that have been given to them,” he told KTLA. “And I’m going to stop there because I’ve got nothing good to say.” However, when the reporter asked whether his response meant he was on team Sarah, he admitted, “I might just have to say yeah. What a gracious lady. She was always so good to me.”
Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon during a scene for ‘Sex and the City.’ (©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch, one of Carrie’s BFFs, on SATC and in the first season of And Just Like That before his heartbreaking death, also jumped in to call out Kim for not signing onto SATC 3. He also slammed Kim for how she handled the situation, and claimed that she lied when she said she was never interested doing the movie. After Kim called her SATC co-stars “toxic” in her Piers Morgan interview, Willie tweeted, “Dear fans, because I’m ‘toxic,’ I’m going to negotiate a contract for six months, not come to terms, then say I never wanted to do it anyway!”
What Is Their Relationship Like Today?
In 2020, Kim no longer wanted to be in the news for her history with SJP. “Everything is on Google, so I encourage you to Google it, about anything I’ve ever said,” she told the Los Angeles Times in September of that year. “I feel that that was then, and when I look at what’s going on around me, I just don’t have any regrets.” She refused to comment any further on the feud.
However, in Jan. 2021, Sarah continued to insist that she never had any ill will towards Kim. When one fan claimed on Instagram that Sarah and Kim “dislike” each other, the designer wrote back, “No, I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would.” Clearly, these two women still have very different views of what happened between them over the years.
The Future Of ‘SATC’
On Jan. 10, 2021, it was finally confirmed that a new Sex and the City series was coming. SJP, Cynthia and Kristin shared the news themselves on social media by posting a teaser trailer for the new HBO Max, which is called And Just Like That. Unfortunately, Kim was not initially a part of the revival, but now we know she’ll at least return for one scene at the end of season 2. And Just Like That season 1 consisted of 10 episodes and aired between Dec. 2021 and Feb. 2022. The series, which currently follows Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York as they navigate life in their 50s, continues with season 2 on June 22, 2023.
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