In the latest episode of the popular podcast Call Her Daddy on June 18, host Alex Cooper welcomed a very special guest — the iconic Sarah Jessica Parker, known to many as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and its revival And Just Like That. The conversation was heartfelt and revealing.
Over the years, many fans have criticized Carrie Bradshaw for her messy decisions, emotional reactions, and questionable behavior. But now, Sarah is speaking up. She's tired of the constant blame placed on her character. And she has strong reasons to defend her.
“There’s a sentiment sometimes that she’s frustrating, or that she’s selfish, or she makes poor decisions, or she doesn’t manage her money. Well, yeah – all of that has been true over the course of the last 25 years,” Sarah told Alex. She then added, “There wouldn’t be a show if she was consistently a stellar human being.”
Carrie Bradshaw vs. Male Leads: A Double Standard?
Sarah also pointed out how people judge female characters more harshly than male ones. She explained, “We forgive our male leads. We have no problem if they’re murderers. My favourite show in that period was The Sopranos, and I love Tony Soprano – but he was a deeply flawed man."
She continued, "We didn’t talk as much about that as we did with Carrie having an affair with a married man. It was very curious to me when they would say she’s selfish, and I can give you ten reasons and ways in which she wasn’t.”
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Sarah made it clear that Carrie Bradshaw is not perfect, and that’s the point. Despite all the criticism, she believes Carrie has many good qualities.
Carrie Is an Extremely Decent Person
Even though fans often focus on Carrie’s flaws, Sarah sees her character differently. She said, “I think, fundamentally, Carrie is an extraordinarily decent and good person — an extremely devoted friend, she’s generous of spirit and time, in all she has to offer.”
Sarah doesn’t let the criticism bother her much anymore. In fact, she appreciates the strong emotions Carrie continues to stir up among viewers. “But I ultimately think that all those feelings are pretty fantastic. That kind of connection and those kinds of strong feelings, both positive and negative, are pretty wonderful,” she said.
She added, “People are kind of captive in those moments to something, and I think that’s perfectly fine. I just think, it’s just interesting, the ways in which we judge women, and not men.”
Carrie’s Flaws Were Intentional, Not Accidental
Sarah also revealed that Carrie’s sometimes selfish and chaotic choices were not random. Instead, they were a conscious decision by showrunner Michael Patrick King. These traits didn’t make Carrie a “bad” character. Instead, they made her more real.
According to Sarah, the backlash didn’t change who Carrie was. “The backlash and judgement didn't make Carrie softer, it made her more 'her'. Complicated. And that's as real as it gets.”