The Truth About Sarah Jessica Parker And Kim Cattrall's Iconic Feud
When fans learned that they wouldn't be seeing Kim Cattrall in the "Sex and The City" reboot (called "And Just Like That..."), they were understandably devastated but not terribly surprised. After all, it's not exactly a secret that two of the original show's four leads don't get along. Rumors have been rife for years that Sarah Jessica Parker, who played lead Carrie, and Kim Cattrall, who played sexpot Samantha, were at odds throughout its run. Cattrall memorably made it clear that she and her "Sex and the City" co-stars were actresses, not besties IRL.
As E! News reported, during an appearance on Piers Morgan's "Life Stories," Cattrall discussed their relationship. "We've never been friends," she said. "We've been colleagues and in some ways it's a very healthy place to be because then you have a clear line between your professional life and relationship and your personal."
However, it's worth noting that the woman who so memorably brought Samantha to life never had as much of an issue with the other ladies as she did with Parker, in particular.
In 2004, Kim Cattrall admitted money is the reason Sex and the City ended
After years of rumors that Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker didn't exactly click on the set of "Sex and the City," Cattrall admitted that the biggest reason the show ended in 2004 was because of money. More specifically, while appearing on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross," Cattrall explained that after six years of being at the center of an enormously popular show, she felt like everyone should be making more money. Unfortunately, those in charge didn't agree, and as she put it, "When they didn't seem keen on that I thought it was time to move on" (via Digital Spy).
This effectively killed the idea of putting out a seventh season of the show or even moving forward with a "Sex and the City" movie, though the team did eventually reunite twice for films in later years.
In a lot of ways, it completely makes sense that Cattrall would have lobbied HBO for more money. After all, of the four main characters, Cattrall's Samantha Jones was certainly the one putting the "sex" in the show's title. Cattrall was reportedly paid $350,000 per episode, and asked for $1 million to continue on with the show (via Us Weekly).
Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker stopped speaking in 2009
Five years after Kim Cattrall's "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" interview, there were several reports out that insisted she and Sarah Jessica Parker were no longer on speaking terms. After the first "Sex and the City" movie made $415 million at the box office, everyone was scrambling to make a second — everyone except Cattrall, who requested more money before she would commit. She received it, but the New York Post noted that by the time the team was filming, she and Parker were not speaking at all. The energy on set was tough, as their behavior was "making everyone on the set of the new 'Sex and the City' movie uncomfortable."
The year before, the real-life person who inspired Willie Garson's Stanford Blatch sent out a book proposal that shed light on more details from what the "Sex and the City" set was really like. As the New York Post explained, in a book proposal, Clifford Streit insisted tensions rose early on in the series because Sarah Jessica Parker saw herself as the series' star, but Kim Cattrall was "a natural comedienne, and a scene-stealer in the best possible sense — the camera went right to her."
Cattrall also admitted to Piers Morgan that there wasn't really a reason for her to keep in touch with Parker or fellow co-stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. She said, "The common ground that we had was the series and the series is over" and that Parker "could have been nicer" (via the New York Post).
In 2010, it sounded like Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker made up
In 2010, Kim Cattrall spoke to the Daily Mail and the topic of her feud with Sarah Jessica Parker inevitably came up. Surprisingly, Cattrall insisted that the real problem was that the press and the public didn't want to believe that the two women were friends, or at least that they got along, because it wasn't as exciting. As she put it, "They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with each other. It makes for juicy gossip and copy."
Cattrall also praised Parker's leadership skills, adding that she would love to move on to another topic. Cattrall said, "She and I are sick of this. It's exhausting talking about it, and a real bore."
This echoes the sentiment expressed by Parker in an interview conducted in 2009, when she told Elle that making anything related to "Sex and the City" wasn't possible without Cattrall. Like her former co-star, Parker implied that the real issue might be the people who were more invested in stirring the pot. Parker said, "I don't think anybody wants to believe that I love Kim. I adore her. I wouldn't have done the movie without her. Didn't and wouldn't."
Sarah Jessica Parker blamed the rumors on sexism
Despite both sides seeming willing to wave a white flag, the topic of an ongoing feud between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker refused to die. In 2016, Parker sat down for an interview with Time when she was asked to address the rumors for the umpteenth time. This time around, Parker shared some particularly interesting insight: These sorts of rumors don't seem to surround shows that star men at the center. She said, "They just didn't do it to the 'Sopranos' guys. It was so strange to me and upsetting. ... We were all at liberty to walk away at any time! But nobody asked those questions of shows with men. Isn't that interesting?"
The topic came up again when Parker sat down with Howard Stern in October 2016. After admitting that every day on set wasn't picture-perfect, Parker dove into the supposed fight and admitted that the constant scrutiny, questions, and implications really got to her. She told the host, "It used to really confound me and really upset me. ... This is a family of people who needed each other, relied upon each other, and loved each other."
In 2017, tensions between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall boiled over again
Unfortunately, it seems that truce wasn't meant to last. In 2017, amid reports that a third "Sex and the City" movie was pushed back indefinitely, the same old story reared its ugly head: Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall couldn't see eye to eye, and that's what tanked efforts to make the movie.
The Daily Mail reported that while Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis were all signed on to a third film, Cattrall wouldn't get back to anyone about what she wanted to do. A source reportedly close to production told the publication that Cattrall was the reason why the movie wasn't going forward, adding, "Kim had the audacity to tell Warner Bros that she would only do this if they made other movies she had in development."
The news was confirmed by Davis, who didn't explain why the movie wouldn't go forward but hinted at a simmering anger on Instagram, writing, "I wish that we could have made the final chapter, on our own terms, to complete the stories of our characters. It is deeply frustrating not to able to share that chapter." Despite stories that Cattrall was the one and only reason there would be no film, only a year before, Cattrall had told the Daily Record that it was tough to imagine walking away from her character completely. She noted, "It could be fun though. To say goodbye completely to Samantha would be pretty hard."
Kim Cattrall then said she and Sarah Jessica Parker were never friends
In response to reports that she had made extra "demands" in order to agree to star in a third "Sex and the City" film, Cattrall wrote on Twitter that, in fact, she had not, and she had even said no to the movie a full year before the news was dropped in 2017. She also began to make the press rounds following the announcement that a third film would not be in the works, appearing on Piers Morgan's show in October 2017 to discuss her side of the story.
During the interview, Cattrall finally pulled back the curtain on the whole issue of a feud and admitted that not only had she and Parker never really gotten along as anything more than "colleagues," she also hadn't fully bonded with Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, a comment that Sarah Jessica Parker told "Watch What Happens Live" left her "heartbroken."
On top of that, Cattrall explained that the biggest reason she felt finished with "Sex and the City" was that she had reached a state of clarity in her life and no longer wanted to compromise. As she put it when asked if there will ever be more of the show in some form, "Not for me. That was part of turning 60. That was a very clear moment of, how many years do I have left and what do I want to do with it? What haven't I done?"
The death of Kim Cattrall's brother drove a deeper wedge between the two women
In February 2018, Kim Cattrall's brother was found dead in Canada, as reported by CNN. After Cattrall shared the news on Instagram, there was an outpouring of support for Cattrall from across the internet, including from Sarah Jessica Parker and the rest of their "Sex and the City" co-stars. Parker left a public comment on Cattrall's Instagram offering her condolences (via People), but the comment seemed to enrage Cattrall. Days after announcing her brother's passing, Cattrall accused Parker of exploiting her brother's death simply to get good press.
After creating a public post telling Parker she did not need her "love or support at this tragic time," Cattrall went in hard on her former co-star, writing in the caption on Instagram, "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."
Cattrall also linked to a New York Post article written in 2017 that described the "mean girls culture" of the show.
But a year later, Sarah Jessica Parker said there was no fight with Kim Cattrall
In February 2018, Sarah Jessica Parker finally addressed the issue while speaking to People. After revealing that she simply chose to not respond to Kim Cattrall's Instagram post or her interview with Piers Morgan, Parker explained that Cattrall needed to do what she needed to do. Parker said, "So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded. And I won't, because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege."
If Parker and Cattrall weren't interested in talking about what was really going on behind the scenes, some of their costars were more than comfortable doing so. Jason Lewis, who famously played Samantha Jones' boyfriend Smith Jerrod, told KTLA that while he'd prefer to stay out of the situation, if it came down to it, he supported Parker's point of view on the matter. While speaking, he implied that perhaps "people" should remember their place in things, explaining, "Listen, 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."
Regarding the feud, Kim Cattrall said 'everything is on Google'
In 2019, Kim Cattrall opened up to The Guardian about her time on "Sex and the City." After explaining that she believes her time as Samantha Jones was a "blessing in so many ways," she also admitted that she knew she was completely finished with the franchise following the second film. For Cattrall, it was confusing that "they wouldn't just replace me with another actress instead of wasting time bullying."
Cattrall also told the Los Angeles Times that she would like to retire the topic of a fight with Sarah Jessica Parker once and for all. As she bluntly put it, anyone who wanted to know what happened can look it up. She said, "Everything is on Google, so I encourage you to Google it, about anything that I've said." On top of that, Cattrall shared that she wouldn't take back anything, explaining, "I feel that that was then, and when I look at what's going on around me, I just don't have any regrets."
Cattrall also told the Los Angeles Times that playing Samantha Jones had negatively impacted the trajectory of her career in the United States. As she explained, she was generally only offered roles that were similar to the one she played on "Sex and the City." As a result, she began working in England.
In 2021, Sarah Jessica Parker confirmed Kim Cattrall would not join And Just Like That
In January 2021, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis all had very exciting news to share with "Sex and the City" fans: There would be a revival of the show, and it was titled "And Just Like That..." Of course, many fans immediately wondered if Kim Cattrall would join the show, with many asking Parker outright on Instagram.
Eventually, Parker answered a few comments. After one fan referenced the seemingly never-ending feud between the two women, Parker replied (via BuzzFeed News), "No. I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would. Samantha isn't a part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do."
In the end, it seems that both Parker and Cattrall may have decided it was easier to let others explain why Cattrall would not be joining the new show. In February 2021, HBO's chief content officer Casey Bloys told TV Line that the new show would be reflective of many of the realities of adulthood, including the fact that not all friendships are meant to last forever. Bloys explained, "Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life."