And Just Like That viewers have always known that Chris Noth wouldn’t be back for season 2, but they couldn’t help but wonder whether Mr. Big would at least be referenced in the new episodes.
They got their answer during the season 2 premiere on Thursday, June 22, when when Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) gave a brief nod to her and Big’s failed first wedding. After her dress plans for the Met Gala fell through, Carrie dug deep in her own closet to repurpose the voluminous Vivienne Westwood gown she wore to the ceremony that never happened because Big left her at the altar in the 2008 Sex and the City movie.
“I might have something,” she said. “I’ve only worn it once. It’s not the best memory.”
After she opened up the box storing her infamous bird fascinator, the camera cut to Carrie exiting her building in the gown, now accessorized with a turquoise cape. “And just like that, I repurposed my pain,” she said in a voiceover.
Aside from that scene, however, Mr. Big and his death were never mentioned. As AJLT fans will remember, the character died during the season 1 premiere, when Carrie came home to find that her husband — real name John James Preston — had a heart attack while she was out. In a voiceover, she announced, “And just like that … Big died.”
Days after the episode aired, multiple women accused Noth, 68, of sexual assault in an article published by The Hollywood Reporter. One woman who used the pseudonym Zoe alleged that Noth “rape[d] her from behind” in 2004 after she met him during the course of her work at a high-profile firm with celebrity clients. Zoe, who was 22 at the time, further claimed that Noth would “flirt” with her at the Los Angeles office and later invited her to his West Hollywood apartment, where she alleged that Noth raped her.
![TV's Most Shocking Deaths: From [Spoiler] on 'Manifest' to [Redacted] on 'You'](/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/shocking-tv-deaths-manifest-season-4-you-season-3-promo.jpg?crop=129px%2C0px%2C1742px%2C984px&resize=400%2C225&quality=40&strip=all)
A second woman, Lily, allegedly met Noth when she was 25 and working as a server at a New York City nightclub in 2015. She claimed that he invited her to his NYC apartment after a night of drinking and sexually assaulted her.
Noth, for his part, denied the allegations at the time. “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,” he told Us Weekly in a statement. “These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
After the allegations surfaced, And Just Like That producers reportedly cut a cameo appearance Noth filmed for the season 1 finale, which would have shown Mr. Big in Paris with Bradshaw. Noth and Parker, 58, had been photographed filming the scene on location earlier in 2021.
Later in December 2021, Parker and her AJLT costars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon issued a statement in response to the claims against Noth. “We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth,” read a message they shared via Instagram. “We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”
While Noth had no presence in the season 2 premiere, two other actors who are not on the show received brief nods. Kim Cattrall, who was not asked to reprise her role as Samantha Jones after declining to do a third SATC movie, was mentioned in a conversation between Carrie and Kristin. In another scene, Carrie gave a shout-out to Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), who moved to Tokyo in season one after his split from Anthony (Mario Cantone). In real life, Garson died of pancreatic cancer in September 2021 while season 1 was still in production. He was 57.
New episodes of And Just Like That stream via Max on Thursdays.
If you or someone you know have been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
