Sarah Jessica Parker Weighs In on Sex and the City's Worst Man Debate

Sarah Jessica Parker recalled the men her character Carrie Bradshaw dated on Sex and the City and the "least successful" romance.

By Elyse Dupre Jun 22, 2023 4:31 PMTags
Watch: Sarah Jessica Parker Talks Kim Cattrall's And Just Like That Cameo

Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw was on the hunt for that "ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love," as she so put it.

But, more often than not, she struck out. Mainly because of the men she was attracting, according to Sarah Jessica Parker.

"I think Berger is probably the person that was probably least good for Carrie," she told Access Hollywood. "But that's not the actor—that's the character, as written, as beautifully played. So that would be, if I was forced, I would say that Berger was probably the least successful in some ways." 

Berger, played by Ron Livingston, ultimately broke up with Carrie through a now iconic (and still heartbreaking) Post-It note.

And now, in And Just Like That, Carrie—now a widow—is reuniting with another old flame: John Corbett's Aidan.

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All the Iconic Sex and the City Items Sarah Jessica Parker Has Reworn on And Just Like That

"They've matured," Parker exclusively told E! News. "They've had a lot of life experiences. They've made some really big choices in their life. He has children. She had a marriage. She lost a husband. We will discover his marital status....No matter their shortcomings in the past, no matter the ways in which they've disappointed one another, there was arguably an enormous amount of love and respect for one another."

And Carrie and Aidan—who've been seen kissing—have a lot to catch up on.

"I think they have a huge amount to explore," the actress continued. "It's a rich relationship, and it was awfully fun to be with him again on set."

Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

And if you couldn't help but wonder what happened to Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones, well, she's back too for a small cameo.

"The idea emerged because of the 25 years and wanting to celebrate that, but also acknowledge the affection that we had for Samantha that we continue to have," SJP shared, later describing Cattrall's scene. "It's a moment. And it's a very sweet, sentimental phone call that happens at a particular time in Carrie's life, and it's just punctuated by this phone call. And it's really lovely and I hope people enjoy it."

What else do the people enjoy? Reviewing the loves of the Sex and the City characters' lives. Keep reading to see who ranks where.

16. Samantha and Richard

Ugh, what an a--hole.

Best moment: N/A.

15. Carrie and Berger

It's hard to remember the couple's early banter-filled, cute moments after all the horrible, passive-aggressive crap the writer pulled later on. HE BROKE UP WITH HER ON A POST-IT.

Best moment: None are coming to mind at the moment, Berger. We're sorry, we can't. Don't hate us.

14. Samantha and Maria

No one believed this relationship would last, right? Still, Samantha gave it the ol' college try. 

Best moment: After a night out with Carrie and her new beau, during which Samantha told Big to "back off," Maria told Samantha she couldn't be just friends. 

13. Miranda and Che

Not on fans' bingo cards when they tuned into Max's revival series And Just Like That...? Miranda ending her marriage and following a standup comedian across the country!

Best Moment: TBD...hopefully? Otherwise, for the pure comedy of it all, it has to be Che and Miranda hooking up in Carrie's kitchen while a recovering-from-hip-surgery Carrie peed herself in bed. 

12. Carrie and Petrovsky

Oh, the Russian. Their relationship started off too romantic to be true…and it was. He didn't get along with her friends and Carrie's impulsive move to Paris proved to be a disaster.

Best moment: After too many grand romantic gestures, Carrie literally swooned. So naturally, Petrovsky took her, in her dream ball gown, to McDonald's, where they slow-danced while waiting for fries. We literally swooned.

11. Charlotte and Trey

On paper, Trey was the perfect guy for Charlotte. But, the cracks began to show (overbearing mother, "Trey can't get it up," not wanting kids, etc.) soon after their wedding. Also: he gave her a cardboard cut-out baby. Who does that?!

Best moment: When Trey took Charlotte to Tiffany's so she could pick out her dream ring to make up for the infamous "Alrighty!" comment.

10. Samantha and James

The first relationship Samantha had that wasn't based on sex came to an end because of, well, sex. Or James' small penis, to be exact. 

Best moment: When Samantha told James she loved him. A huge (no pun intended) moment for her.

9. Miranda and Skipper

Poor, poor Skipper. He was kind of like a Steve-lite, and Miranda was able to walk all over him.

Best moment: When he calls her "luminous" during their chance meeting at a bodega.

8. Anthony and Stanford

Sure, it came out of nowhere in the movies that Carrie's BFF and Charlotte's wedding planner-turned-bestie would get together, but it kind of works for us.

Best moment: In their wedding vows, when Anthony said, "It wasn't love at first sight, but it turns out it was love. You are the first man to accept me for the man that I actually am."

7. Carrie and Aidan

Let's face it, Aidan was a great guy but he wasn't The Guy for Carrie…no matter how hard they both tried to convince themselves that he was. However, season two of And Just Like That... may just prove that second chances are the hottest trend this summer. (Yes, we are refusing to acknowledge their dalliance in Sex and the City 2.)

Best moment: Is it weird that we loved their breakup scene—the second one—where they slept on the floor of the apartment they would never live in together?

6. Miranda and Robert

Talk about a catch. Robert was almost perfect: he was a hot doctor for the New York Knicks who watched the same soaps as Miranda. His one flaw? He just wasn't Steve.

Best moment: Their first kiss at their "lockers," (i.e.: mailboxes). Or her taking a personal day for the first time ever for him. OR THE CHICKEN POX.

5. Samantha and Smith

Of all the guys on SATC, Smith Jerrod might just be the best. He was so patient and so giving with the wild Samantha, who fought tooth and nail not to fall in love with the model-turned-superstar. 

Best moment: Who doesn't tear up just thinking about Smith shaving his golden locks for Samantha when she lost her hair while undergoing chemo? 

4. Carrie and Big

Absof--kinglutely. (Curse you, Peloton!)

Best moment: Come on, how can we not choose Big going to Paris to finally tell Carrie she's the one? (Although the fart-in-bed/whoopee cushion prank still makes us smile.)

3. Miranda and Steve

Just as Miranda's feelings for Steve snuck up on her, our love for this couple hit us like a ton of bricks—just like their split in And Just Like That...'s first season. Justice for Steve!

Best moment: If any moment perfectly represents SATC's most low-maintenance couple, it was Miranda's out-of-nowhere proposal and their super low-key wedding in the park. So them. So perfect.

2. Charlotte and Harry

They say love often finds you when you least expect it…like when your sweaty putz of a divorce lawyer turns out to be the man of your dreams and the best father to your children you could've imagined.

Best moment: Their mess-filled, imperfectly perfect nuptials. From the beginning of the series, Charlotte wanted the fairy tale wedding, but what she got was the fairy tale marriage.

1. The Girls

"The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into. And sometimes it's the one you make for yourself."

Best moment: We were SO tempted to choose Carrie walking Miranda down the aisle at her mother's funeral, but we thought a moment with all four girls was appropriate. Our choice? When Miranda doesn't give two shits about her wedding after hearing about Samantha's breast cancer diagnosis, with all four girls tuning out the celebration to just be together. Because that's what friendship is: putting others before yourself. 

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