Cynthia Nixon Defends Miranda’s Romance With Che Diaz Amid ‘And Just Like That’ Fan Backlash

Credit: Shutterstoc; Inset: HBO MAX

Cynthia Nixon Defends Miranda's Romance With Che Diaz Amid 'And Just Like That' Fan Backlash

A new direction. Plenty of And Just Like That viewers have expressed their dislike for Miranda's recent story lines, but the character's arc has at least one vocal supporter: Cynthia Nixon. The Emmy winner, 55, who reprises her role as Miranda Hobbes in the Sex and the City revival, is a fan of the way the show's writers have adapted the classic characters for 2022. "I think some people are not loving seeing these characters maybe off-kilter, but I love that," the New York City native said during a Wednesday, January 26, appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. During the January 20 episode of the HBO series, Miranda told her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), that she wanted a divorce so she could pursue her romance with Che Diaz (Sara Ramírez). Though some viewers have been pleased by the show's inclusion of a nonbinary character, others have wondered whether Miranda would really upend her life for an affair. [jwplayer sHn2Spw0-zhNYySv2] "Miranda is so overwhelmed by how attracted she is to Che and how off-kilter that Che has thrown her that she becomes Charlotte and starts doing The Rules," Nixon explained on Wednesday, referencing Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) obsession with a self-help book from the 1990s. The Tony Award winner also noted that calling Miranda's arc a "mid-life crisis" is putting a "negative spin" on something that's actually been a net positive for her character. "Out of crises come really productive things," she told Drew Barrymore. "You're not young anymore, but you're not old, either. And you still have time to make sure that your life is the way you want it to be." Other fans have pointed out, however, that Miranda seems to have forgotten how angry she was during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated on her. As viewers remember, the duo briefly split before deciding to give their marriage another chance by reuniting at the Brooklyn Bridge. One popular meme pairs a photo of Miranda in the original series telling Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) she's "living in a fantasy" with a screenshot of AJLT Miranda saying she's living in a rom-com. Even Seth Meyers couldn't resist teasing Nixon about the discrepancy when the actress stopped by Late Night later on Wednesday. "Steve's not having a great time in the new show," the Saturday Night Live alum, 48, joked. "You know I love Steve. I feel like I don't know why you guys did him like that." Keep scrolling for more on the drama surrounding Miranda's romance with Che: [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstoc; Inset: HBO MAX

Cynthia Nixon Defends Miranda's Romance With Che Diaz Amid 'And Just Like That' Fan Backlash

A new direction. Plenty of And Just Like That viewers have expressed their dislike for Miranda's recent story lines, but the character's arc has at least one vocal supporter: Cynthia Nixon. The Emmy winner, 55, who reprises her role as Miranda Hobbes in the Sex and the City revival, is a fan of the way the show's writers have adapted the classic characters for 2022. "I think some people are not loving seeing these characters maybe off-kilter, but I love that," the New York City native said during a Wednesday, January 26, appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. During the January 20 episode of the HBO series, Miranda told her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), that she wanted a divorce so she could pursue her romance with Che Diaz (Sara Ramírez). Though some viewers have been pleased by the show's inclusion of a nonbinary character, others have wondered whether Miranda would really upend her life for an affair. [jwplayer sHn2Spw0-zhNYySv2] "Miranda is so overwhelmed by how attracted she is to Che and how off-kilter that Che has thrown her that she becomes Charlotte and starts doing The Rules," Nixon explained on Wednesday, referencing Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) obsession with a self-help book from the 1990s. The Tony Award winner also noted that calling Miranda's arc a "mid-life crisis" is putting a "negative spin" on something that's actually been a net positive for her character. "Out of crises come really productive things," she told Drew Barrymore. "You're not young anymore, but you're not old, either. And you still have time to make sure that your life is the way you want it to be." Other fans have pointed out, however, that Miranda seems to have forgotten how angry she was during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated on her. As viewers remember, the duo briefly split before deciding to give their marriage another chance by reuniting at the Brooklyn Bridge. One popular meme pairs a photo of Miranda in the original series telling Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) she's "living in a fantasy" with a screenshot of AJLT Miranda saying she's living in a rom-com. Even Seth Meyers couldn't resist teasing Nixon about the discrepancy when the actress stopped by Late Night later on Wednesday. "Steve's not having a great time in the new show," the Saturday Night Live alum, 48, joked. "You know I love Steve. I feel like I don't know why you guys did him like that." Keep scrolling for more on the drama surrounding Miranda's romance with Che: [podcast_block]

Credit: HBO MAX

The Fan Backlash

Fans have taken issue with several of Che's characteristics, including the "woke moment" button they push on their podcast with Carrie and their habit of vaping marijuana in office elevators. Che's stand-up show — referred to as a "comedy concert" on the series — also struck many viewers as painfully unfunny. Then there are the tons of Che memes, which pair the line, "Hey, it's Che Diaz" with iconic horror movie moments. (Bowen Yang also referenced the character during his Saturday, January 22, appearance on SNL's "Weekend Update.")

On a more serious note, some LGBTQ+ critics have taken issue with the fact that one of the few nonbinary characters on TV sometimes comes off like a caricature. The Daily Beast, for example, recently claimed Che is "the worst character on TV."

Credit: HBO MAX

The Fan Support

Still, other fans see Che as a boon to the SATC universe, which has previously neglected to include LGTBQ+ and nonwhite characters. Several outlets have published "in defense of Che Diaz" pieces, with writers pointing out that some of the criticism seems to have a transphobic undertone.

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

What Sara Thinks

The Grey's Anatomy alum, 46, isn't bothered by backlash to Che, and they don't think Che would be, either. "Che isn't here to be liked, Che isn't here for anyone's approval," Ramírez said of the character in a recent roundtable interview. "Che is not here to represent the entire LGBTQ+ community or a spectrum of Spanish-speaking people or Latin-identified people or Hispanic-identified people. They're here to just be themselves."

Nixon, for her part, actually recommended the Screen Actors Guild Award winner for the role. "I suggested them because I’ve been aware of them for so long and such a fan," the Quiet Passion actress told Barrymore, 46, noting that she started paying attention to Ramírez after seeing them in the musical Spamalot.

Credit: Marion Curtis/StarPix for HBOmax/Shutterstock

Kristin Weighs In

During a January appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the host asked Davis, 56, what she thought of Che's comedy act. "Oh, Andy, don't put me on the spot," she joked. "You're going to get me in trouble with [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King]. You know, I think it's meant to be more like, 'hmm'-type comedy."

Credit: Courtesy of Cynthia Nixon/Instagram

Team Steve Has Entered the Chat

"I couldn’t help but wonder…is @therealsararamirez on Team Steve? #AndJustLikeThat," Nixon captioned an Instagram photo of Ramírez wearing a pin with Eigenberg's face on it in January 2022.

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

It's Not 'SATC'

Nixon defended the HBO Max show in a February 2022 interview with Vogue after the first season finished airing. "I feel like people who have been less sanguine about it were really looking for a rehash of the old show,” the actress claimed. “If I could do anything differently, I would have made sure we said to people in letters 10 feet tall: This is not Sex and the City. If you’re looking for Sex and the City, you should watch the reruns. This is a new show for this moment and for the moment in these original characters’ lives.”

The actress added that she liked the characters having room to be messy in their lives. "A feminist show shouldn’t be agitprop, it shouldn’t be propaganda showing women as these sensible, wise, kind, attractive people,” Nixon laughed. “First of all, who wants to watch that? I don’t want to watch that. It’s to show women and our struggles and our dreams and our foibles. You don’t always know where you’re going. Those are the people that I’m interested in, not the people who are playing it safe.”