If you’re a fan of Sex And The City, we’re sure you couldn’t help but notice Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker’s very public rift.
Kim has seemingly been at loggerheads with her former co-star since the beloved sitcom came to an end in 2004, and has since made it no secret that she was “not friends” with the rest of the cast – including Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon – beyond the show.
Over the years, the actor has distanced herself from the SJP entirely. She’s criticised her for not having been “nicer” about the circumstsances surrounding the third film, and even called her out for posting a message of condolence when her brother died.
Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica has tended to maintain that there was never any catfight between them to begin with… although more recently, she has turned her nose up at the idea of Kim returning to Sex And The City’s spin-off And Just Like That.
Well, now that it’s officially been confirmed that Kim will soon be back as maneater Samantha for a cameo in the forthcoming second season, here’s a full timeline of the drama...
December 2004: Kim admits money was part of the reason for Sex And The City’s ending
Sex And The City came to an end in 2004 after six seasons, although two movies followed in 2008 and 2010.
During an appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Kim let loose that finances played a part in the beloved US show coming to an end.
“I felt after six years it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City,” she told the host.
“When they didn’t seem keen on that I thought it was time to move on.”
2009: Kim and SJP allegedly stop speaking during filming of Sex And The City 2
According to a report by New York magazine, Kim and Sarah Jessica’s friendship came to an awkward end in 2009, while they were shooting the second film.
As a result, their feud made “everyone on the set of the new Sex and the City movie uncomfortable.”
Sex And The City 2 was released in 2010 to unfavourable reviews, and is largely considered a low moment for the franchise.
May 2010: SJP insists she has no regrets over her behaviour on set
During the press tour for the second and final movie, SJP shed light on what life was like on set.
Speaking to Marie Claire ahead its release, she admitted that sometimes “feelings get hurt” during their long filming hours.
However, Sarah also insisted: “I don’t have any regrets about how I’ve treated people.”
August 2016: SJP pays tribute to her ‘sister’ Kim on her 60th birthday
Sarah once again tried to put feud rumours to bed in August 2016 and took to Instagram to celebrate Kim’s birthday.
Sharing a photo of her co-star, she captioned the upload: “Happy birthday you beauty.
“Sending love and the very best for a perfectly marvellous, joyous, healthy and adventure filled birthday year. Your ol’ pal, fellow mischief maker and ‘sister’, Sj xxx.”
October 2016: SJP shuts down feud rumours and insists the cast was a family who ‘loved’ each other
Sarah later emphatically shut down suspicions of a feud during a taping of The Howard Stern Show in 2016.
“It used to really confound me and really upset me,” she said of the rumours.
“Was every day perfect? Were people always desperately hopelessly in love with each other? No. But this was a family of people who needed each other, relied on each other and loved each other.”
September 2017: Kim blasts claims that Sex And The City 3 was canned due to her diva demands
Kim was forced to set the record straight in September 2017 when it was reported that a third Sex And The City movie was axed over demands she made with Warner Bros.
She took to Twitter to dispel the rumours, which were initially reported in Mail Online.
“Woke up to a MailOnline [shit]storm. The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a third film.... and that was back in 2016,” she tweeted.
October 2017: Kim drags SJP’s attitude on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories
The following month, Kim spoke at length about her decision to step away from the franchise on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
During the interview, she shut down any speculation about her “diva” behaviour while also hitting out at SJP’s attitude.
“At this very moment it’s quite extraordinary to get any kind of negative press about something that I’ve been saying for almost a year of ‘no’ that I’m demanding or a diva,” she said.
“And this is really where I take to task the people from Sex And The City and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker, in that I think she could have been nicer.”
“I really think she could have been nicer,” she reiterated. “I don’t know what her issue is. I never have.”
Kim also revealed that she no longer sees her former co-stars, adding: “They all have children, and I am 10 years older, and since specifically the series ended I have been spending most of my time outside of New York so I don’t see them.
“The common ground that we had was the series, and the series is over.”
When later asked how she felt about Kim’s comments during an appearance on US show What What Happens Live, SJP responded: “Just…heartbroken.
“That’s not the way I recall our experience,” she added.
February 2018: Kim accuses SJP of ‘exploiting’ her brother’s death
Kim made it clear that she had zero interest in accepting condolences from SJP following the death of her brother Chris Cattrall in 2018.
Chris died by suicide at the age of 55, after going missing in Canada.
At the time, SJP sent her love in a comment shared on Instagram, which read: “Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother.”
But Kim made it perfectly clear that she had no time for her former co-star’s words, and responded: “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker.
“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. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”
SJP responded during an interview with People magazine, once again downplaying suggestions of a fallout.
“It’s really funny because I never talked about it, except [to say] that some of us were disappointed,” she said.
“But I never responded to the conversation Kim had with Piers Morgan, where she said things that were really hurtful about me… 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.”
May 2022: After And Just Like That airs, Kim reveals she wasn’t invited to be part of the reboot, and reiterates that she was never friends with the cast
In an interview with Variety, Kim said she was not approached to reprise her character as she had previously made her “feelings clear” after she turned down a script for a possible third movie in 2017.
“The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,” she said. “I was never asked to be part of the reboot. I made my feelings clear after the possible third movie, so I found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.”
Samantha had been written into the script for the potential third movie, which would have seen her receive unwanted “dick pics” from Brady, Miranda’s 14-year-old son – a storyline she described as “heartbreaking”.
She told the publication that she had not watched And Just Like That and also shed light on her relationship with her co-stars.
“I think we were colleagues. My colleagues aren’t my friends. It was professional,” she added.
February 2022: SJP reveals she wouldn’t be OK with Kim returning to Sex And The City
Last year, Sarah said she wouldn’t be alright with Kim stepping back into the shoes of Samantha and joining the Sex And The City spin-off And Just Like That – even “if a miracle were to happen”.
In an interview with Variety, she admitted: “I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared.
“I haven’t participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.”
She continued: “We didn’t go to Kim for this, you know. After we didn’t do the movie and the studio couldn’t meet what she wanted to do, we have to hear her and listen to her and what was important to her.
“It didn’t fit into what was important or needed for us. There’s a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim.”
June 2022: SJP insists once again that there’s no catfight between herself and Kim
SJP continued to maintain there was no bad blood between herself and Kim during an interview in June 2022.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, she said: “It’s so painful for people to keep talking about this ‘catfight’ – a fight.
“I’ve never uttered fighting words in my life about anybody that I’ve worked with, ever. There is not a fight going on.
“There has been no public dispute or spat or conversations or allegations made by me or anybody on my behalf. I wouldn’t do it. That is not the way I would have it.
“So I just wish that they would stop calling this a catfight or an argument, because it doesn’t reflect, actually, there has been one person talking.
“And I’m not going to tell her not to, or anybody. So that’s been kind of painful for me also.”
June 2023: Kim confirms return to Sex And The City, SJP still baffled by fallout claims
At the start of the month, Kim confirmed rumours that she’s reprising her iconic Sex And The City character Samantha Jones in the second season of the reboot And Just Like That.
According to reports, she filmed a brief cameo in character for the show’s forthcoming finale.
One week later, Kim herself acknowledged the news and she shared a screenshot of the initial headlines about her return along with the caption “Happy Pride”.
Later that month, SJP was asked about her former colleague’s absence from the first season of the reboot And Just Like That.
In an interview with the New Yorker, she reiterated that Kim had not been approached for the first season of the show and re-addressed those “catfight” claims.
“We felt like it had been made clear by her that this was not a character she wanted to revisit,” SJP explained.
She continued: “It’s the weirdest thing, to be told we’re in a catfight. I would never speak poorly about Kim. I just wouldn’t.”
And, even recently, Sarah broke her silence on Kim’s return to the franchise, admitting that it had been a “joy”.
Speaking ahead of the new season’s launch later this week, she told the Daily Mail: “We’ve been really thoughtful about the ways in which we’ve, you know, approached characters that hadn’t been around, the ways we have invited actors back and it’s been, you know, really fun and exciting and certainly nostalgic, but I think more than that, it’s been a lot of joy.”
And Just Like That season two is streaming on NOW, with new episodes dropping each Thursday.