Sarah Jessica Parker Explains Why John Corbett Said Aidan Would Be in 'And Just Like That'

The leading lady admits to not reading any press about the 'Sex and the City' reboot.

We couldn't help but wonder... where was Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) in the HBO Max Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That? Corbett teased an appearance on the show prior to filming, but after the full season aired, fans quickly pointed out that the furniture craftsman was nowhere to be found. On Monday night, Sarah Jessica Parker appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and a fan asked Parker where her character, Carrie Bradshaw's, former love interest was in the reboot. 

"So he said all that..." Parker began of Corbett. 

"In jest?" host Cohen asked. 

"It was fun. It was fun for him to say that," she said. "When he actually reached out, very kindly, because he's nothing if not a gentleman, and apologized for doing that as a joke, and then I was like, 'No, no, no, it's a free country first of all.' And I thought it was kind of delightful and kind of fun."

So could Aidan be back for a potential season 2 if the show is renewed? Parker certainly seems open to the idea. 

"Having said that, I think he would be... I mean, I'm not going, yes, all of it's possible," Parker said of Corbett returning. 

Of Aidan's absence, writer Julie Rottenberg previously told Deadline, "John Corbett should be writing personal apology notes. We didn’t say anything," referencing Corbett's prior claims he'd be on the show.  

On WWHL, Parker was also asked about the negativity and criticism surrounding the reboot, which revisits the lives of Carrie Bradshaw (Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), who are well into their 50s.

"I haven't read anything, so I don't know about any chatter," she told Cohen. "I guess I'm grateful that we're doing anything that affords conversation. If it promotes it, that's great." 

One criticism she did address was how fans felt Carrie did nothing to help her husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth), in the wake of his heart attack. Fans noted that Carrie could have called 9-1-1 in an attempt to save his life, but instead was shown sitting on the ground holding him while he was still conscious. 

"I always think of that particular moment... it's a suspended animation, this moment where everything stops," she explained. "In my head, she struggled through this moment and tried to get him to be responsive and she came to her senses, I'm going to say after about two to three seconds, and then of course she called 9-1-1 and got all the help she needed from professionals."

Cohen also asked Parker if she thought that standup comedian Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) was actually funny. 

"I'm going to make a confession to everybody -- and this is the god's honest truth -- I have not seen episodes three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 yet," she admitted. "So I feel that I'm not in a position to declare whether Che's comedy is funny or not, nor does it matter what I think." 

As for how the show handled the absence of actress Kim Cattrall's character, Samantha Jones, Parker seemed pleased. 

"I can take no credit to how we handled it except I got to convey the messages since they're not spoken," she said of the texts between Carrie and Samantha. "But it is Michael Patrick King, who is our showrunner and our head writer, and his extraordinary group of amazingly talented writers. It was an idea because Samantha is not gone." 

She added of Cattrall's absence, "The actress who played the role is no longer playing that role, but people aren't absent from your life when you don't want them to be. And I thought that in typical Michael Patrick fashion, he threaded it through with grace and dignity and respect and love and affection for that character. And I thought it mimicked many friendships that challenged each other and struggle and want to remain connected in a way because it's too painful."

And Just Like That season 1 is streaming on HBO Max. 

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