Top 10 Biggest Sex and the City Scandals

In 2008, “Sex and the City” made the leap from the small screen to the big screen with a film adaptation. The flick saw Carrie and her pals journey to Mexico after her traumatic almost wedding to Mr. Big. While on vacation, Charlotte refused to eat any of the food provided by the resort, and would only consume cups of American made pudding out of fear. She believed that food south of the border can cause sickness, which is a dangerous stereotype. Despite all the other ladies wining and dining without any problems, Charlotte didn’t back down…until…karma came knocking.

Kim Cattrall wasn’t the only “Sex and the City” alum who didn’t physically return for the sequel series, “And Just Like That…” in 2021. The original show’s costume designer, Patricia Field, was already working on Netflix’s “Emily in Paris”, when the revival began production and her ex-assistant, Molly Rogers stepped in. When interviewed about her thoughts regarding the sequel show’s fashion, Field didn’t hold back. When it came to style and fashion, the Emmy Award winner called out cast member, Cynthia Nixon, stating “Cynthia Nixon thinks she knows everything - and she doesn't!” Seems like there is no love lost between these two former colleagues!

During “Sex and the City’s” run, it was deemed progressive and liberating. While in many ways it was and still is, there are some things in retrospect that are straight up problematic. Case in point: Samantha’s treatment of the trans community. In season three, Samantha is kept up at night by trans sex workers who are working outside of her apartment building. While complaining about them, she uses a derogatory word and later even threatens them with violence. In the end, they all make peace, but Miss Jones should definitely have known better.

In the “Sex and the City” movie, Samantha has left the hustle and bustle of New York City for the ease and breeze of California to manage Smith’s career. Later on in the film, she goes to visit the girls and confesses her struggles with being in a monogamous relationship has caused her to eat more and gain some weight, which Carrie and the other girls notice and immediately call her out on. The moment is played for comedic effect, but there’s nothing funny about so-called friends body shaming someone they supposedly love and care for.

When “And Just Like That…” premiered in late 2021, the show brought back Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as well as a bunch of new characters. One of them was Che Diaz, and they quickly became one of the series most talked about new additions. Played by Sara Ramirez, Che is a stand up comedian who is non-binary. While the “SATC” universe definitely needed more representation, fans were quick to express their disappointment that Che was more of a caricature than a fully fleshed out character. From their use of a “Woke Moment” button on their podcast to their heavy handed dialogue chock-full of buzzwords, Che was not the representation that the non-binary community wanted or deserves.

It’s no secret that the original “SATC” series lacked diversity. And when the show did feature a character of color, they usually were quite two-dimensional or oversimplified. For instance, in the season 3 episode, “No Ifs, Ands or Butts”, Samantha begins to date Chivon, a Black man. But his sister, Adeena, isn’t too keen on their interracial relationship. Despite Adeena expressing her concern, Samantha continues to see Chivon, which results in a fight between the two women when they bump into each other at a club. Here, Adeena is reduced to the stereotype of the angry black woman, which is really disheartening.

For someone whose career involves writing about sex, Carrie Bradshaw had a VERY limited perspective on the subject. In the episode, “Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl”, Carrie begins seeing a man named Sean. While on a date with him, he mentions that he has dated both women and men, which shocks Carrie. Later on, she laments to her gal pals about it, questioning if bisexuality “exists” and referring to his sexuality as a “problem”. The whole scene promotes a dangerous mindset that discredits, invalidates and stereotypes the bi community. After watching it, we can’t help but wonder if Carrie even has any business making a living as as sex columnist!

In “Sex and the City 2”, the foursome trade Manhattan for a once in a lifetime trip to Abu Dhabi. From the moment they land in the Middle East, the women behave controversially. First off, Carrie says the way in which Muslim women are dressed [“freak her out”] - yet later on, when it’s convenient for her, she wears a veil to avoid an angry mob and make her flight home. Then there’s Samantha, who, while being mistakenly accused of theft, sees a pile of condoms dropped from her purse in front of a group of men. Now, this scene could have been portrayed as a moment of female sexuality liberation, but nope, instead, Samantha shouts at and provokes them, angering them even more. Maybe it’s just better to forget that “SATC 2” ever happened.

Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker’s infamous real-life tiff has plagued “Sex and the City” fans for years. Reports of sourness between the two date back to 2004, when Cattrall confessed that “SATC '' ended due to money. She believed the show’s popularity did not match her salary, particularly after SJP became an executive producer and received a substantial spike in pay. From then on, both actresses addressed the tension, with Cattrall admitting the cast weren’t “the best of friends”, while Parker later said she “adore[d]” Kim. The conflicting POVs came to a head when Cattrall put the kibosh on a third movie with her in it. When “And Just Like That…” was announced, she turned down reprising her role. However, it was announced in 2023 that she’d be making a cameo appearance in the second season.

Right after “And Just Like That…” premiered in 2021, the media reported two women had accused Chris Noth aka Mr. Big of sexual assault. Following the claims, a third report was released. Noth denounced the claims, calling them “false”, stating that his relations with the women were “consensual”. Following the allegations, he was released by his management agency, and his gig with the brand Peloton as well as fired from his series “The Equalizer”. Although his character died in the pilot, Noth was scheduled to appear in the season one finale of “Like That…” but the plans were ditched due to the allegations.