The real reason for the fight between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall

In the late 1990s , a group of four women arrived on television with the goal of appealing to a female audience, showcasing an aspirational life where friendship and sisterhood were fundamental pillars. This series was Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon.

However, behind the scenes, the relationship between the two actresses wasn't as harmonious as it appeared on screen, and to this day they have not been able to reconcile.

This is about Parker and Cattrall, whose strained relationship prevented their characters , Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones, from sharing a reunion in the sequel And Just Like That ..., which recently concluded after three seasons.

What is the reason for the dispute between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall?

The conflict began during the filming of the second season of Sex and the City in 1999 , when Sarah Jessica Parker took over as executive producer, earning a salary of $300,000. Kim Cattrall attempted to negotiate a similar raise, but when Warner Bros. executives refused, the relationship between the two deteriorated significantly.

This was complicated by the fact that the other two leading ladies, Kristin Davis (Charlotte York) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes), joined Sarah and began excluding Kim. It was revealed in a 2017 New York Post article that they wouldn't sit down with Cattrall at dinner. This was further evidenced at the 2004 Emmy Awards, when Kim didn't sit with her fellow actresses during the ceremony.

"Are we best friends? No. We're professional actresses. We each have our own lives," Kim said at the time.

Even so, after the series ended in 2004, Kim appeared in two "Sex and the City" movies, one in 2008 and the other in 2010. During the filming of the movies, it was reported that Sarah and Kim didn't speak to each other on set, although they stated in various interviews that they got along very well; people just didn't want to admit it, and that's why the rumors continued.

Although a third film was already planned, The Daily Mail revealed that Kim Cattrall was the reason why this project was canceled, as she asked Warner Bros. to produce other stories in which she was involved before returning to "Sex and the City," a request that was denied.

However, Kim has explained that the real reason was the script , as she didn't like that in the new story Miranda Hobbes' 14-year-old son sent Samantha racy messages and intimate photos, something she considered inappropriate.

In 2018, their rivalry came to light when Sarah Jessica Parker offered her condolences to Kim over the death of her brother Christopher via Instagram, which sparked fury from the Samantha Jones actress . Cattrall responded with the following message:

"Today my mom asked me, 'When will that hypocrite leave you alone?' Your continued mentions of me are a painful reminder of how cruel you were and are to me. I want to make one thing clear (in case I haven't already): you are not my family, we are not friends. So I'm writing this to tell you, once again, to stop exploiting our family tragedy to try to restore your good girl image."

When the sequel "And Just Like That..." was announced in 2020, it was clarified that Kim Cattrall would not be part of this new story , which follows three of the protagonists 11 years after the end of the second film, justifying Samantha Jones' absence due to a fight with Carrie Bradshaw, who fires her as a publicist and decides to move to London.

In 2022, while discussing the second season of "And Just Like That...", Sarah Jessica Parker assured THR's Awards Chatter podcast that they only respected Kim's decision not to return, and clarified the alleged rivalry: "There is no 'feud' going on. There have been no public disputes, no conversations or accusations made by me, or by anyone on my behalf. I would not do it. That's not the way that I would do it. So I just wish they would stop calling this a 'cat fight' or an 'argument,' because the reality is not reflected: There has been one person talking. And I'm not going to tell him not to, or anyone else, so that's been a little bit painful for me, too."

Still, due to fan demand to see Samantha, Kim agreed to a cameo on the condition that she wouldn't meet any of her former co-stars or showrunner Michael Patrick King , and that the show's former costume designer, Patricia Field, would dress her character. All of her conditions were met.

In the second season of "And Just Like That...", Carrie was briefly shown video chatting with Samantha, who told her she wanted to come see her in New York, but her flight was three hours late and she was furious, so she couldn't say goodbye to her apartment. Carrie thanks her, and they hang up, effectively ending any hope of a full reunion between the characters.

YC