And Just Like That creator says Samantha is still a part of show even if Kim Cattrall is not

At the world premiere of And Just Like That, HBO's follow up to the iconic show Sex and the City, creator Michael Patrick King spoke about the absence of Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) in the story.

"The reality is that Samantha is still in the show. These women didn’t have amnesia. They have Samantha in their lives, and we all have friends who meant something to us and who we lose touch with. She belongs in the show and in this storyline," King told Variety.

He added that while Cattrall not reprising her role was a choice she made, but "we kept going." The actor had reportedly decided not to return to the show due to personal differences with Parker. 

In 2017, Cattrall had said that she believed Parker could have been "nicer" to her during the shoot of the show. After the former's brother passed away in 2019, Parker had expressed her condolences, following which Cattrall had accused her of "exploiting our tragedy" for personal gain," writes Huffpost. 

Chris Noth, who plays Carrie's romantic interest Big, had recently addressed the public beef between his co-actors. He told The Guardian that he "was not happy" about the way Cattrall had described Parker. He was even asked to comment on Cattrall's absence from the cast to which he said he had no idea why she chose not to return.  

The premiere of the show took place at New York City's Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday and was attended by the show's team as well as celebrities like Matthew Broderick, Andrew Rannells, Anna Wintour, Gayle King and Andy Cohen. 

And Just Like That, a 10-episode series, follows Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), now in their 50s, navigating the complicated reality of their lives and their friendships. The cast also has Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman and Sara Ramírez as new additions.