Sex And The City Breakups That Left Fans Devastated
Even though "Sex and the City" ended all the way back in 2004, the show remains one of the most well-known and best-loved TV series to this day. With several films and a 2021 reboot in the works, it's safe to say that people still have a huge appetite for the ups and downs of the fab four's romantic lives — even though Samantha won't be making a return in the reboot.
Over the years, we've seen a lot of great romance scenes thanks to "Sex and the City." However, in some cases, the breakup scenes have been even more satisfying. While we all love watching a couple get together, it can also be kind of fun to relish in a devastating breakup scene. Want to relive some of the heartbreak and drama? Grab the tissues, because here are some of the best breakup scenes in "Sex and the City" history.
Carrie and Big break up on Sex and the City after he refuses to define their relationship
The first big breakup on "Sex and the City" came in Episode 12 of the show's first season. While the four women all had a few casual romances that fizzled out, when Carrie and Big broke up, fans of the show got to see their first really devastating breakup.
The heartbreaking breakup came after Carrie stalks Big and his mother to church, looking for a sign that he was ready to define their relationship. However, Big doesn't deliver. The pair are leaving for a trip when Carrie stops him outside the car and says, "Just tell me I'm the one. You don't have to tell your mother or the world, just..." Big says nothing, she tells him to leave, and he drives off.
This scene was the first time we really got to see Big's problems with commitment. As Bustle put it, "Big was rarely emotionally available enough to deal with those issues." This first breakup was probably an indication that they could never work in the long run — and yet, as fans know, this was just the beginning of an on-again, off-again saga.
Miranda and Steve break up for the first time on Sex and the City when she tries to buy him a suit
Miranda and Steve were always an adorable couple on "Sex and the City," but they certainly had their fair share of hurdles to overcome.
One of their issues almost proved to be a breaking point in Season 2, Episode 10. Miranda, who is a powerful, high-achieving lawyer, accidentally embarrasses Steve, who is a bartender, when she tries to buy him a suit for a corporate party. "You need to be with a guy that's more on your level... being in that store with you, I didn't feel good about myself," Steve says. Miranda replies, "You wanna break up with me over a suit? F*** the suit!" Steve says, "It's not just the suit. There's always gonna be things out of my reach." This was a particularly hard breakup to watch as it was crystal clear that both Steve and Miranda still had strong feelings.
Of course, the pair eventually reconcile despite their vastly different incomes. In fact, as Vogue pointed out, Steve's "real, identifiable jobs" are a huge part of his charm. Nevertheless, watching the pair break up for the first time is seriously devastating.
Carrie and Big break up for the second time on Sex and the City after his move to Paris
After Carrie and Big broke up at the end of "Sex and the City" Season 1, they reconciled in Season 2. Unfortunately, they never dealt with their early issues, which came to a head yet again at the end of Season 2. Their second breakup was even more devastating as we could all see it coming.
This breakup came when Big moves to Paris for work, and Carrie surprises him at his hotel room with McDonald's. Carrie suggests that she could move to Paris, too. Big replies, "I don't want you to uproot your life and expect anything." Carrie freezes, then throws the food and screams, "I am such an idiot!" The pair begin to argue about — you guessed it — Big's inability to commit. "Why is it so difficult for you to factor me into your life in any real way?" Carrie asks. With that, the pair break up again.
Of course, Carrie should've seen this coming. Even so, it was hard to watch Carrie let down yet again. As Bustle put it, "Big often seemed to make Carrie feel ridiculous, unwanted, and confused." And, ladies, we never want that.
Miranda and Steve break up for the second time on Sex and the City after getting a puppy
After getting back together on "Sex and the City," Steve and Miranda seem to be doing well in spite of their economic differences. However, another problem soon appears. In Season 3, Episode 8, Miranda breaks up with Steve after he adopts a puppy. Earlier in the episode, the pair had argued about having a baby, with Steve saying, "It would be fun," and Miranda saying, "I'd be up all night with the baby alone." Later, as she works and he lazily watches TV, Miranda tells Steve, "I wanna shelve this whole baby thing for a while." It's pretty clear that this couple's lifestyle habits and future plans are not on the same track. So, when Steve comes home with a puppy, it's easy to see why it's the final straw for Miranda.
As David Eigenberg, who played Steve, told Entertainment Weekly, despite the couple's flaws, they were ultimately pretty great. "There's a simplicity to them," he said. "They're a heartwarming couple without the syrup." This breakup was definitely an example of a very realistic couple problem.
Carrie and Big break up for the third time on Sex and the City after Carrie feels guilty for cheating
After two unsuccessful periods of dating, Carrie and Big get back together on "Sex and the City" yet again — but this time, he's newly married to Natasha, and she's dating Aidan. This was probably a low point for Carrie. As one fan wrote in Elle, "Cheating on Aidan with Big... I mean, no." So, this was one breakup that felt pretty justified — after all, they shouldn't have been together in the first place!
The scene came in Episode 11 of Season 3, after Carrie realizes that what they were doing was wrong. "I think we should stop seeing each other," she says. Big then threatens to call his wife to tell her, but Carrie says she's still not ready to commit to him. Shortly after, Natasha comes back to find Carrie in her house. She chases her down the stairs, and Carrie ends up losing a tooth. At the hospital, Big says, "Thanks for being there, I'll call you." Carrie replies, "For what? We are so over, we need a new word for over."
Carrie and Aidan break up on Sex and the City after she confesses to cheating on him
Just one episode after ending things with Big, Carrie breaks up with Aidan in Season 3, Episode 12 of "Sex and the City." The scene comes after Charlotte's wedding when Carrie confesses to a heartbroken Aidan that she had been seeing Big. She begs Aidan to forgive her, but Aidan says, "It's not that simple, Carrie. I just wish I didn't know about this." The pair hug, and Aidan kisses the top of her head, saying, "I really loved you," before walking away.
It's a heartbreaking scene since both Carrie and Aidan are clearly distraught.
And it's no wonder the scene was so moving — these two actors had totally amazing chemistry. As John Corbett, who played Aidan, said in an interview, "Just about all my scenes were with [Sarah Jessica Parker] ... so most of my memories are pretty fantastic of just working with this brilliant actor and great person."
Samantha and Maria break up on Sex and the City when things get too emotional for Samantha
Samantha was always considered to be the more romantically adventurous of the four friends on "Sex and the City." And, as the Los Angeles Times pointed out, she spent most of the first three seasons in a series of casual affairs. At the beginning of Season 4, Samantha begins dating a woman, Maria, for the first time.
Things go fairly well until Episode 5 when one of Samantha's old flames appears at her door in the middle of the night. Samantha and Maria then have a fight. According to Samantha, the relationship has become "tedious." "I don't want talk, I want passion, I want fireworks!" she yells. With that, Maria begins smashing plates, screaming, "You want fireworks?"
While this isn't the most devastating breakup on the show, it was sad to see one of Samantha's few long-term relationships fall apart in such a dramatic way!
Charlotte and Trey break up on Sex and the City after she struggles to get pregnant
On "Sex and the City," Charlotte had longed to find the perfect man and settle down. When she meets Trey MacDougal in Season 3, she thinks she found him. The pair get married, but by Episode 14 of Season 4, the relationship reaches a breaking point. In a heartbreaking scene, just one day before a photoshoot as "the perfect couple," Trey tells Charlotte that he's no longer interested in pretending the relationship is working. The pair are calm and resigned while they discuss their separation. After all, at this point, the breakup was pretty much inevitable.
In fact, according to BuzzFeed, the writers of the show planted a clue that the marriage was doomed from the start by including a funeral dirge in the wedding. Even Kyle MacLachlan, who played Trey, admitted that his character wasn't the right man for Charlotte. As he told Page Six, "There was definitely a side to Trey that was a little oblivious to certain things. And [fans] had every right to be angry with me if that's the case. I was angry with me!"
Carrie and Aidan break up for the second time on Sex and the City when she can't marry him
Even though Carrie cheated on Aidan with Big on "Sex and the City," Aidan and Carrie eventually got back together. The pair dated throughout Season 4, but in Episode 15, they reached a breaking point. After Carrie expresses hesitation about getting married, Aidan suggests they get married that very night. "I need more time," Carrie explains. He continues to push her, saying, "Carrie, I want the whole wide world to know that you're mine." She realizes that he still doesn't trust her after she cheated, and he walks away.
While the breakup was undeniably devastating for fans on "Team Aidan," it turns out, he probably wasn't the right man for her anyway. As one fan famously wrote on Instagram, Aidan never got over Carrie's cheating and would always hold it against her. According to the fan, Aidan "inferred that he might f*** a bartender from Scout as a form of retaliation" (via Stylist). The fan also noted that his rush to get married completely ignored what she wanted. All things considered, this breakup was probably for the best.
Samantha and Richard break up after she realized she couldn't trust him
One of Samantha's longest and most serious relationships comes at the end of Season 4 of "Sex and the City." She dates Richard Wright, who is what the Los Angeles Times described as a "hotel magnate and bad boy." Ultimately, his "cheating habit drives an increasingly paranoid Sam to break up with him" in Episode 3 of Season 5.
In their breakup scene, Samantha storms in on Richard in his hotel room expecting to find him cheating. Even though no one is there, she says, "I can't do this anymore ... I just ran up 11 flights of stairs because I was sure that you were up here f***ing someone else." Even though Richard isn't cheating on Samantha at that moment, she knows that he was likely to do it again at some point. Richard tells Samantha he loves her. She replies, "I love you, too, Richard — but I love me more." And, with that, she leaves.
While it's a difficult scene to watch, it's amazing to see Samantha put herself first. As Bustle put it, "She didn't settle for a situation that would make her unhappy."
Carrie and Berger break up by Post-it note on Sex and the City
At the beginning of "Sex and the City" Season 6, Carrie dates Jack Berger. While their relationship never got super serious, fans will definitely remember the iconic breakup scene. Instead of breaking up with Carrie face-to-face, Berger leaves her in Season 6, Episode 7 in the middle of the night, leaving a Post-it note that read, "I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me."
As show writer Liz Tuccillo told Elle, "The whole point of 'Sex and the City' in general was to try to find the humor in the heartbreak, in the funny sex, in the everything, to sort of be able to laugh about these horrifying moments." And, for her, the infamous Post-it breakup is just that kind of moment. Men like Berger, she said, "end up being like the worst guy in the world" by accident. While being dumped by Post-it is pretty funny, it would also be pretty hard to deal with in real life!
And, of course, the Post-it breakup now feels a little more familiar. As Cosmopolitan noted, "Now, thanks to texting, it's just another way for an emotionally-avoidant d*****bag to ditch you."
Miranda and Robert break up on Sex and the City after he sends her a cookie cake
Aside from Steve, Miranda doesn't have many long-term relationships on "Sex and the City" — that is, until she meets Dr. Robert Leeds in Season 6. As the Los Angeles Times described it, it was "a match seemingly made in heaven until Miranda realizes she still loves Steve."
The breakup came in Episode 12. After Robert gives Miranda a giant cookie with the words "I love you," written in candy, she realizes that she couldn't tell him she loved him, too. "How can I love him if I can't even say the words?" she says to Carrie. Shortly after the cookie incident, Miranda realizes that the man she really loves is Steve.
When this pair broke up, some fans were pretty devastated. As one viewer wrote for Cosmopolitan, Robert was potentially the best of the bunch out of all of her boyfriends. He was "funny, responsible, financially stable, awesome with children, hot as s***." Even though Miranda wound up choosing Steve, some fans clearly wished she'd chosen Robert instead.
Carrie and Petrovsky break up on Sex and the City after he abandons her once again
Carrie begins a romance with Aleksandr Petrovsky during the sixth and final season of "Sex and the City." Initially, things seem to be going well — Carrie even moves with him to Paris. However, during the last few episodes of the season, he begins to focus more and more on his work and less and less on Carrie. Carrie realizes that Petrovsky can't give her what she wants in the final episode, telling him, "I am someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love and I don't think that love is here in this expensive suite." And, with that, she leaves.
It's amazing to see Carrie put her foot down and set her own standards. While this breakup is disappointing, in some ways, it's also quite uplifting. As Cosmopolitan said, "Her monologue to Aleksandr Petrovsky about wanting more love in a relationship is iconic for a reason."
Samantha and Smith break up in the Sex and the City movie
Samantha finally settles down with Smith Jerrod toward the end of the "Sex and the City" series. However, in the film, the relationship doesn't last. As The Atlantic wrote, Smith had been a real partner for Samantha: "He stood by her as she battled cancer, even cutting his signature locks when chemotherapy begins to ravage Samantha's hair. Their pairing wasn't without its problems, but it was the closest Samantha had ever gotten to domestic bliss."
Naturally, fans were shocked when the relationship came to an end. She tells him, "I'm just gonna say the thing you're not supposed to say: I love you, but I love me more. And I've been in a relationship with myself for 49 years and that's the one I need to work on." Smith is distraught, but Samantha is resolute. It's a moving, difficult scene to watch. But, as The Atlantic put it, "Their love story could never supersede the one in which Samantha was her own protagonist." All the power to her!