Sarah Jessica Parker vs Kim Cattrall: The SATC Feud
The legendary Sex and the City feud between Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones was even more dramatic off-screen. Sarah Jessica Parker built a $200 million empire as the face of the franchise, while Kim Cattrall's Samantha became a breakout cultural icon. With 2 Emmys to 0, $3.2M per episode to $500K, and a feud spanning decades — their rivalry remains one of Hollywood's most fascinating.
Comparison
| Category | Sarah Jessica Parker ⭐ | Kim Cattrall |
|---|---|---|
| 📊 Career Statistics | ||
| Years Active | 1974–present (51+ years) | 1975–present (50+ years) |
| Film Credits (approx.) | 35+ (Footloose, Hocus Pocus, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, SATC films) | 30+ (Porky's, Police Academy, Mannequin, Star Trek VI, SATC films) |
| TV Credits | 10+ (Square Pegs, SATC, Divorce, AJLT) | 15+ (SATC, Sensitive Skin, Tell Me a Story, How I Met Your Father) |
| Iconic Role | Carrie Bradshaw vs Samantha Jones — both equally iconic; Carrie is the narrator & protagonist, Samantha is a breakout cultural phenomenon | |
| Broadway/West End Stage | Broadway: Annie (1979), Plaza Suite (2020) | Broadway: Private Lives, Wild Honey; West End: Antony and Cleopatra, Sweet Bird of Youth |
| ⚔️ Head-to-Head: The SATC Feud | ||
| The Core Dispute | Lead actress, executive producer, face of the franchise; wanted Cattrall included | Felt undervalued, paid less, believed friendship was never real off-screen |
| 2017: 'Not Friends' Reveal | Did not respond directly | Told Piers Morgan: "We were never friends. It was a workplace." |
| 2018: Brother's Death | Sent condolences on Instagram (publicly) | Furious response: accused SJP of exploiting tragedy for "good girl PR" |
| 2023: AJLT Cameo | Brief cameo in season 2 finale — mutual professional ceasefire | |
| 🏆 Awards & Honours | ||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2 wins, 10 nominations | 0 wins, 5 nominations |
| Golden Globe Awards | 4 wins, 9 nominations | 1 win, 4 nominations |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 3 wins | 2 wins |
| Time 100 Most Influential (2022) | Honoured | N/A |
| 📋 Personal Data | ||
| Age | 61 (born March 25, 1965) | 69 (born August 21, 1956) |
| Birthplace | Nelsonville, Ohio, USA | Liverpool, England (raised in Canada) |
| Height | ~5'3" (1.60 m) | ~5'7" (1.70 m) |
| Spouse/Partner | Matthew Broderick (m. 1997, 28 yrs, 3 children) | Russell Thomas (m. 2025); 3 previous marriages |
| Children | 3 (1 biological son, twin daughters via surrogacy) | 0 |
| 💰 Earnings | ||
| Estimated Net Worth | $200 million | $60 million |
| SATC TV Salary (final seasons) | $3.2M per episode (as star + EP) | $350K–$500K per episode |
| SATC Film Salary (per film) | $15–20M per film (incl. backend) | $5–10M per film |
| Endorsement/Perfume Revenue | Gap contract ($38M), SJP fragrance line, SJP Collection footwear | Tetley Tea, Pepsi One, Bacardi ads (modest) |
| Production / Business Ventures | Pretty Matches production co., SJP Lit imprint, Invivo wine, SJP Collection | EP on Sensitive Skin, Filthy Rich; limited business empire |
| 🎬 Key Projects | ||
| Sex and the City (TV) | Carrie Bradshaw — Lead, 94 episodes | Samantha Jones — Main cast, 94 episodes |
| Sex and the City (Films) | Anchored full franchise: SATC (2008), SATC 2 (2010), AJLT (2021–2025) | Skipped AJLT S1, cameo only in S2 |
| Hocus Pocus Franchise | Sarah Sanderson — Hocus Pocus (1993), Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) | N/A |
| 80s Pop Culture Franchises | N/A | Porky's (1982), Police Academy (1984), Mannequin (1987) |
| Star Trek VI | N/A | Lt. Valeris — memorable Star Trek villain |
| 📈 Legacy & Impact | ||
| Cultural Icon Status | Carrie Bradshaw is a top-10 greatest female TV character; Samantha revolutionised depictions of female sexuality — both iconic | |
| Post-SATC Career | Divorce (HBO, 3 seasons), AJLT (3 seasons), Hocus Pocus 2, Booker Prize judge | Filthy Rich (Fox), Queer as Folk (Peacock), Glamorous (Netflix) |
| Production & Creative Control | Pretty Matches (founded 2005), SJP Lit imprint (Zando) | Limited production infrastructure |
| Longevity & Reinvention | Broadway → TV star → producer → publisher → wine entrepreneur → returning to SATC universe | Film supporting player → TV star → West End stage → TV dramas |
Note: The Sex and the City Feud That Never Really Ended
The Show That Made Them Famous
Sex and the City ran for six seasons on HBO from 1998 to 2004 and turned its four leads into household names. Sarah Jessica Parker played Carrie Bradshaw, the columnist at the center of the show, while Kim Cattrall played Samantha Jones, the confident publicist who chased pleasure without apology. Fans loved the mix of friendship, fashion, and blunt talk about relationships, and the show became a cultural phenomenon that defined a generation of women's TV.
On screen the four women were inseparable. Off screen, the story was much less cozy. Reports of tension among the cast leaked out over the years, with Parker and Cattrall at the center of most of the drama.
Where the Tension Came From
Nobody outside the set knows exactly what happened, but the general story that emerged is that Cattrall felt like an outsider in the group. Parker was the star, the producer, and the public face of the franchise, and she got the biggest paychecks and the most screen time. Cattrall reportedly felt her character was treated as a sidekick and that she was not included in the same creative decisions or promotional deals as the others.
There were also practical complaints. Cattrall apparently disliked the long hours and the repetitive demands of the role, and she has said in interviews that playing Samantha for years took a toll on her. The other three actresses have mostly denied serious bad blood and focused on the work, but the whispers never fully went away.
The Movie Years
The franchise moved to the big screen with two films, in 2008 and 2010. They were huge box office hits, even though critics were lukewarm on the second one. A third movie was announced in 2017 and then fell apart almost immediately, and the reports at the time were blunt: Cattrall had said no, partly over money and partly over how she felt she had been treated throughout the years.
Parker and the studio publicly said the movie was canceled because of scheduling, but Cattrall later made it clear the story was really about her decision to walk away. She told interviewers that she never wanted to do a third film and felt it was time to move on from Samantha after decades of playing her.
The Public Fallout
The feud went very public in 2018, when Cattrall's brother died and Parker posted a sympathetic message about family on social media. Cattrall's reply was sharp and widely shared: she rejected the gesture and asked Parker to stop using the tragedy for publicity, saying they had never been friends. The exchange turned the long-rumored tension into a very visible, very awkward public argument.
Neither woman has ever walked back much of it. In interviews since, Cattrall has talked about the bullying she says she faced and the toll the franchise took on her. Parker has mostly tried to stay graceful and focused on the work, saying she only ever wanted everyone to be happy and that she remains proud of the show.
And Then Came And Just Like That
HBO revived the franchise in 2021 with the sequel series And Just Like That, featuring Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. Cattrall was not in the main cast, and the writers killed Samantha off in a single line, saying she had moved to London, a choice fans read as a very pointed burn. The show even had Samantha sending texts to Carrie, which the writers used to keep the character alive without paying Cattrall.
Cattrall did finally appear in a small cameo at the end of the second season, showing up in a brief scene that fans treated like a gigantic event. The cameo did not mean peace behind the scenes, but it did mean the two women could share a frame one more time.
Fun Facts
- All four actresses earned raises to about one million dollars per episode for the later seasons and the movies.
- Cattrall won a Golden Globe for Samantha's role in the series, while Parker won two Emmys for playing Carrie.
- The canceled third film reportedly involved a storyline where Samantha got a voicemail from a 14-year-old telling her she was pregnant.
- Cattrall has said the constant attention to the feud overshadowed her grief when her brother died in 2018.
- And Just Like That killed off Mr. Big in the first episode, a choice that upset many longtime fans.
- The second And Just Like That season scored a ratings bump on the night Cattrall's cameo aired.
- Parker has called Carrie Bradshaw her defining role, while Cattrall has said she is happy to leave Samantha behind.
- Fans and media have spent years trying to count exactly how many real-life slights sit behind the feud.
