Sex And The City feud: What went wrong between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker?

It's the news Sex And The City fans were not expecting – Kim Cattrall is coming back.

The actor starred as Samantha Jones in the hit TV series and its two spin-off films and fans were devastated when it emerged that she would not be returning for follow up series And Just Like That amid reports of a feud.

Her co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Kristin Davis (Charlotte) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) pressed on without her and her character was present only in text messages, with her absence put down to Samantha and Carrie having fallen out.

Read more: And Just Like That season 2: Release date, cast and plot for new episodes

However, Variety has now reported that Samantha will be seen on the phone in the second series.

She apparently shot her part without seeing her former co-stars and will appear in one scene in the finale.

Fans have called it a "miracle" with many saying they can't believe Cattrall is returning amid all the reports of bad blood.

So what exactly went wrong?

Rumours of trouble

Sex And The City was a huge hit, racking up awards and making stars of its cast.

But there were rumours of trouble as far back as 2004, with speculation about salary negotiations being behind the delay to the first movie.

Cattrall seemed to hint at it during an appearance on Jonathan Ross’ show, saying: "I felt after six years it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex And The City.

"When they didn’t seem keen on that I thought it was time to move on."

'Disappointment' over third film

The series wrapped in 2004 after six years and the movies followed in 2008 and 2010.

Fans of the franchise were desperate for a third instalment and it appeared the cast were too.

However, in 2017 Parker said it wasn't going to happen and admitted she was "disappointed".

"We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story," she told Extra.

"It's not just disappointing that we don't get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie.”

Rumours started swirling that Cattrall hadn't wanted to do it and that she'd held things up.

But she later set the record straight, tweeting: "The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a third film.... and that was back in 2016.”

'Never' friends

In 2017 Cattrall sat down with Piers Morgan on TV and stunned fans when she claimed she and the others had "never" really been friends.

"We’ve been colleagues and in some ways it’s a very healthy place to be because then you have a clear line between your professional life and relationship and your personal," she said.

She made the comments as she tried to explain why she didn't sign up for a third movie, which she suggested Parker “could have been nicer” about.

In 2018, Parker addressed Cattrall's comments on Watch What Happens Live, saying: "I found it really upsetting because that’s, you know, that’s not the way I recall our experience.”

Cattrall hits out on Instagram

Things ramped up in 2018 when Cattrall had a very public pop at Parker on Instagram, after the death of her own brother Chris.

"I don't need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker," she posted on the platform, adding in the caption: "My Mom asked me today 'When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?'

"Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona."

She then added a link to an article entitled "Inside the mean girls culture that destroyed Sex And The City".

SJP insists there was 'no catfight'

In 2018 Parker was being interviewed by Vulture when she was quizzed about whether she and Cattrall could sort things out.

"There is no catfight, there never has been a catfight," she insisted.

"I’ve never fought with someone publicly in my life, nor would I."

And Just Like That

In 2021 it was revealed that Sex And The City was being rebooted with a new series following the characters in their 50s, with Parker, Davis and Nixon all on board.

Parker later explained why Cattrall wasn't a part of the sequel.

"We did not ask her to be part of this because she made it clear that that wasn't something she wanted to pursue, and it no longer felt comfortable for us, and so it didn't occur to us," she said.

When a fan said they would miss the star and her character, SJP agreed, saying: "We will too."

Cattrall didn't watch new series

Cattrall later shared that she hadn't tuned in to the reboot.

Read more: Sarah Jessica Parker reveals terror of fans who grab her for selfies without asking

But she told Variety she'd heard about it, adding: "And I’ve come to the conclusion that really the greatest compliment I could have as an actor is to be missed.

Watch: Kim Cattrall to make brief return on ‘Sex and the City’ revival