The hype over the Sex And The City reboot was short-lived amid its anti-climactic return last month – with fans feeling the absence of its most electric character, Samantha Jones.
And last week, many speculated that Sarah Jessica Parker, 56, Cynthia Nixon, 55, and Kristin Davis, 56, were cleverly trying to coax their fourth leading lady Kim Cattrall, 65 – who played highly-sexed PR-guru Samantha – back for a second series of And Just Like That, with Carrie sending her long-time pal a series of texts which included, “I miss you” in a recent episode.
One fan wrote, “Texting Samantha… they’re clearly hoping she will be back, but I don’t think she will!”
But sources tell Closer that Kim has “no regrets” about her decision to snub the revival – especially as it’s garnered disappointing reviews and has been overshadowed by scandal.
The source says, “Kim is breathing a sigh of relief at her decision to swerve the series, and if anything, she’s been comforted by the disappointing reviews as it’s reassured her she did the right thing.
“While she could have perhaps been tempted by – at the very least – a one-off cameo, the headlines surrounding the reboot have made her even more committed to her decision never to return, and she’s told pals that the door is not only closed, but locked and bolted.”
The infamous off-screen feud between Liverpool-born Kim – who last week holidayed in London with her partner Russell Thomas – and Sarah, who plays Carrie, has long cast a shadow over a revival of the show, which soared to global success when it started in 1998.
Kim admitted that money was part of the reason the show ended following an eight-year run in 2004, amid reports she was unhappy about Sarah being paid an extra £250k per season when she was promoted to exec producer on the second series.
The crew revealed how Kim “wouldn’t even sit with the girls at mealtimes” as tensions grew, and didn’t speak at all while filming the spin-off movies in 2007 and 2009.
Check out: Sex and the City cast - where are they now?
Sex and the City cast - where are they now? slider
1 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - aka Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie had a weekly column and managed to live in a New York City apartment - the dream. She chased Mr Big around NYC (even though he was trash) and she even cheated on Aidan Shaw with him - rude. The last time we saw Carrie she returned from Abu Dhabi after cheating on hubby Mr Big with Aidan - full circle, tbh.
2 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - now
Sarah Jessica Parker has since starred in The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Did You Hear About The Morgans and New Year's Eve. She's also starred on Glee, HBO show Divorce and she's produced her own independent drama. She's married to actor Matthew Broderick and they have three children; James and surrogate twins Marion and Tabitha.
3 of 20Kim Cattrall - aka Samantha Jones
Confident, outspoken and sexy AF - Samantha Jones is literally everything we want to be. She stayed away from long-term relationships but went on to fall for Richard Wright however he left her devo when she found him cheating on her. She then went on to date Jerrod and the pair moved to LA however she broke up with him in Sex and the City 2 and moved back to NYC.
4 of 20Kim Cattrall - now
Following SATC, Kim went on to continue acting in movies and Broadway productions. In 2018 she tweeted that her brother had gone missing and hours later it came to light that he had died by suicide. After SJP apparently wrote condolences on Kim's Instagram, Kim hit back and claimed Sarah was "exploiting" her brother's death.
5 of 20Cynthia Nixon - aka Miranda Hobbes
Miranda didn't trust men (classic) but after falling for Steve Brady (and having a few ups and downs) she fell pregnant with Brady. The pair co-parented their son and eventually gave in to their feelings and reunited. However, Miranda was left heartbroken during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated. Luckily they made it through their rough patch and she even bagged a new job at a law firm during the second movie.
6 of 20Cynthia Nixon - now
Cynthia has continued acting and in 2018 she announced she was running for governor. She's since Christine Marinoni. In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but she beat it.
7 of 20Kristin Davis - aka Charlotte York
The easiest way to describe Charlotte York is as a hopeless romantic. All she wanted was a husband and kids and it appeared that she found that in Trey MacDougal however when she found out he couldn't "get it up" it took a toll on their marriage and they split. She then fell for Harry Goldenblatt who was not her type but they eventually tied the knot and welcomed Lily (through adoption) and Rose into the world.
8 of 20Kristin Davis - now
Following her time in the Sex and the City series, Kristin continued to star in films and TV shows. She's also an ambassador for Oxfam and she adopted her daughter Gemma in 2011 and her son Wilson in 2018.
9 of 20Chris Noth - aka Big
We had a love/hate relationship with Big because he was Carrie's true love but he was also the ultimate f--kboy. However, when Carrie moved to Paris and was finally ready to forget all about him, he soon changed his tune and they made things work. In the final episode of SATC we finally discovered that his real name was John James Preston.
10 of 20Chris Noth - now
Chris has continued acting in theatre, TV and film. He's also a co-owner of a New York music venue and a tequila company. He's married to actress Tara Lynn Wilson and they're parents to two sons.
11 of 20John Corbett - aka Aidan Shaw
Aww Aidan; the one that got away, tbh. We still think Carrie should have stayed with Aidan - he treated her like a queen, built furniture (hashtag handy) and gave her a second chance after she cheated on him. Despite almost making it down the aisle; Aidan moved on, got married and had three children - although he did kiss Carrie in Sex and the City 2.
12 of 20John Corbett - now
Not only has John continued acting but he's also released two country albums. He has been in a long-term relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002.
13 of 20Evan Handler - aka Harry Goldenblatt
Harry is definitely the least problematic out of all the Sex and the City characters. He was 100 per cent himself and loved Charlotte despite the fact that she was going through a divorce. He remained faithful and the pair welcomed two daughters into the world.
14 of 20Evan Handler - now
Evan has continued acting and he's also released his own books and has written for magazines and The Huffington Post. He tied the knot with Elisa Atti in 2003 and four years later they welcomed her daughter Sofia into the world.
15 of 20David Eigenberg - aka Steve Brady
Steve and Miranda's relationship started as a one-night stand but they ended up actually dating. It didn't last and the pair split. When Steve discovered he has testicular cancer he ended up sleeping with Miranda and she fell pregnant. They planed to co-parent their son but eventually reunited as a coupe. In the first Sex and the City movie, Steve cheated on Miranda but by the end of the film they got back together.
16 of 20David Eigenberg - now
Just like the rest of the cast, Steve has continued acting. He's married to Chrysti and they're parents to son Louie and daughter Myrna.
17 of 20Willie Garson - aka Stanford Blatch
We always loved Stanford. He was Carrie's BFF and always had her back. He did not get on with Charlotte's pal Anthony but the pair went on to get married in Sex and the City 2.
18 of 20Willie Garson - now
Willie has continued acting in films and TV shows - including Wizard of Waverly Places. Despite playing Carrie's gay best friend, Willie is actually heterosexual and in 2009 he adopted son Nathan.
19 of 20Mario Cantone - aka Anthony Marentino
Anthony was actually Charlotte's wedding planner for her marriage to Trey MacDougal and despite that relationship not working out, Anthony and Charlotte stayed pals. Anthony went on to marry Stanford despite them not getting along for years.
20 of 20Mario Cantone - now
Mario has continued his acting career on Broadway and in 2011 he married musical theater director Jerry Dixon after dating for 20 years.
In 2017, plans for a third movie were cancelled, with Kim claiming she flat-out said “no” to it and she’d “never been friends” with her on-screen BFFs.
Since the show’s return last month, fans have been left disappointed not only by the absence of their favourite character, but by the way it was addressed on screen.
In the first episode, Carrie explained that Samantha – known for her unwavering loyalty – stopped taking her calls and moved to London after she’d let go of her pal as her publicist.
One disappointed viewer reacted, “Have some more respect for Samantha!” While another added, “Samantha is a strong woman – she wouldn’t have ghosted her BFF over work. Sloppy writing.”
Sadly, even before the show aired it was hit with tragedy when Willie Garson, 57, who played Carrie’s gay best friend, Stanford Blatch, died of pancreatic cancer in September. He was originally due to appear in all 10 episodes but only featured in three due to his failing health.
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And it’s not just fans who have savaged the reboot, critics have been equally barbed with the New York Post calling it “woke, weird and awful”.
But most shocking of all were the sexual assault accusations made last month by three females against “Mr Big” aka Chris Noth, 67. One woman, using the pseudonym “Zoe”, now 40, claimed she was raped at a Hollywood apartment in in 2004, when she was 22. A second woman, “Lily”, alleged Noth raped her in his New York apartment in 2015, when she was 25. The actor says the allegations are “categorically false”.
Sarah, Cynthia and Kristin swiftly released a joint statement in response to the allegations against their co-star.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth,” the brief statement reads. “We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”
The women came forward after claiming to have been triggered watching the show’s iconic character reprise his role in the first episode, before he was killed off by a heart attack after getting off his Peloton bike.
The actor’s subsequent advert for Peloton was then deleted, he was axed from his show, The Equalizer, and his marriage to actress Tara Wilson, 39, is said to be “hanging by a thread”. He has also been removed from the season finale, where he was supposed to briefly appear as Carrie scattered his ashes.
Just days later, the show made headlines for the wrong reasons yet again when its original costume designer Patricia Field – who has been replaced by her former assistant for the reboot – slammed Cynthia’s previous behaviour on set over her SATC on screen outfits, insisting, “She thinks she knows everything – but she doesn’t!” The 79-year-old designer also said that she’d “love” to do a Samantha reboot.
And insiders say the constant drama, negative headlines and criticism of the show have prompted the cast to hold crisis talks about the show’s future.
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The source says, “The girls are mortified and distraught that the show has been torn apart by critics – they wanted to empower women with the reboot, but instead it’s been hit with accusations of Mean Girls-type bullying and sexual assault.
“They’ve been meeting to discuss how to move forward, but they’re in a state of shock over how to rectify it all.
“Sarah is intent on ensuring it doesn’t lose its magic and is hoping they can ride the wave and come back stronger for a second series – insisting they should face the Chris scandal head on and use it as an opportunity to address sexual assault.
“But Cynthia and Kristin fear they could make things worse and are wondering if they should bow out now with their heads held high. While Sarah understands their concerns, she desperately wants to cling on and turn things around with another series, so they can ensure that the show doesn’t end on such a sour and toxic note.”