A friend fallout we never saw coming.
In the premiere episode for HBO Max's Sex and the City revival, renamed And Just Like That..., Samantha Jones' absence was immediately addressed and explained away. When longtime friends Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) ran into an old acquaintance—shout out to the return of Bitsy Von Muffling (Julie Halston)—they were asked about their missing "fourth musketeer."
At what first felt like a throwaway explanation, Carrie and company explained that Samantha was "no longer with us." No, not in that way. Instead, Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall in the show's original six season run, was now off living in London.
Of course, after decades of friendship, there was more to this story, and the show made sure to delve into it. Apparently, Carrie and Samantha had a fall out after the former let her friend go as her publicist.
"I told her that because of what the book business is now, it just didn't make sense," Carrie reflected in one conversation with Miranda, "for me to keep her on as a publicist. She said fine, and then fired me as a friend."
As the revealing chat continued, Carrie confirmed that Samantha stopped returning her calls. Miranda weighed in, "You know Samantha, her pride got damaged."
Per the episode, Carrie repeatedly tried to reach out to Samantha, to no avail. "Look, I understand that she was upset," she added, "but I thought I was more to her than an ATM."
It was this drama that prompted Samantha to relocate across the pond, cutting off contact with not just Carrie, but with Miranda and Charlotte too. Just when we thought the scene couldn't be more gut-wrenching, Carrie added, "I always thought the four of us would be friends forever."
Though this situation is uncharacteristic for the incredibly loyal Samantha Jones, the series had to come up with something to explain her MIA status. After appearing in the original SATC and the two follow-up films, Kim, on several occasions, made it clear that she had no interest in revisiting the franchise.
In fact, in a 2017 interview with Piers Morgan, Kim called her relationship with her co-stars "toxic" and claimed that they were "never been friends."
Not ready to embrace this sad storyline for Samantha, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte? Relive their best friend moments from Sex and the City below!
And Just Like That... is available to stream on HBO Max.