Cynthia Nixon Reflects On The Problem Areas Of “Sex And The City”
Cynthia Nixon still loves Sex and the City, but that doesn’t mean she sees it as perfect. The actress, now 59, recently opened up about the show’s legacy and its flaws in a refreshingly honest chat with Grazia.
Nixon, who famously played Miranda Hobbes on the iconic series, admitted that while “90% of the show is still pretty great,” some parts just don’t sit right anymore. “Certain things have really not aged well,” she said. And she wasn’t shy about naming them.
“It was always very difficult being on a show that was so white. I always hated that,” she shared. Whenever the cast brought it up, the answer they got was simple but disappointing: This is Candace Bushnell’s world — and it’s a very white world. “I’m like, OK…,” Nixon recalled, clearly still frustrated.
She also pointed to how the show handled LGBTQ+ topics. “Some of the trans stuff, some of the gay stuff was a little cringy to look at,” she admitted, reflecting on scenes that haven’t stood the test of time.
Still, Cynthia holds onto what made Sex and the City groundbreaking in the first place. “It’s a feminist show — it’s always been a feminist show,” she said proudly. The core message, she believes, was powerful: that women could be independent, have fulfilling careers, and embrace their sexuality without shame.
Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte York, also added some insight during the interview. “What you have to remember is that we were in our thirties and forties. Of course, I look at the show now, we look like babies, but being single at that age, at that time, still had a kind of stigma,” she stated.
She echoed Nixon’s point about the show’s radical message for its time. In her words: “Its central message was unheard of: ‘You can be a woman, you can have a lot of sex with a lot of different people. It didn’t make you a slut and it didn’t mean you were using sex to get something. You were having sex – because you enjoyed having sex!’”
Sex and the City ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2004, followed by two feature films in 2008 and 2010. Then, the story was revived in And Just Like That…, which debuted in 2021 and gave fans a new chapter with familiar faces.
Now, Cynthia is back alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis in season three of the spinoff, set to premiere May 29 on Max at 9 p.m. EST. This season also welcomes some exciting guest stars, including Rosie O’Donnell and Patti LuPone.
