Bethenny Frankel Has Something To Say About 'And Just Like That' Mentioning Her

Aw that’s so kind but I’m not 💋

— Kim Cattrall (@KimCattrall) July 21, 2024

When a fan shared an article from Elle claiming Samantha Jones (and Kim Cattrall) would return for And Just Like That... season 3, Kim responded to the post saying "Aw that's so kind but I'm not 💋." With the straightforward delivery (and the kiss emoji), this tweet is exactly the kind of thing Samantha herself would say — and it didn't take long for fans to respond.

"Kim, you were the whole reason I watched SATC to begin with," one user tweets. "Love your work! Miss you!"

"Our QUEEEEEEEEN!!!!" another user says.

Kim Cattrall explained her reasons for not joining And Just Like That... in 2022, revealing she was never asked to join the reboot after expressing her disinterest in a potential third movie. (The third movie in question featured Samantha receiving unwanted photos from Miranda's 14-year-old son.) "It’s heartbreaking," she tells Variety, adding it's an "understatement" to say the third movie didn't allow Samantha to progress.

"Can you imagine going back to a job you did 25 years ago?" she continues. And with the story's added complexity and struggles, the job only got more complicated. "When the series ended, I thought that’s smart. We’re not repeating ourselves. And then the movie to end all the loose ends. And then there’s another movie. And then there’s another movie?"

"It’s a great wisdom to know when enough is enough,” she says. “I also didn’t want to compromise what [Sex and the City] was to me. The way forward seemed clear.”

Amalita Amalfi Visits New York Again

We met Amalita Amalfi in Season 1, described both as "an international party girl" and "a hooker with a passport." She introduces Carrie to a few "friends," who help her out when Carrie is short on cash. We never see Amalita again, which is a shame, because she seems like a interesting woman who's lived an exciting life. I'd love to see Carrie dial back her judgement (she's now twenty-five years older, after all) and run into Amalita the next time she's in NYC. Present day Carrie could use some fun, and TBH — Amalita is more entertaining than all of our new characters put together.

Carrie Reconnects With ​Mike Singer

Mike Singer is Carrie's longtime friend from Season 1, who she's never slept with. When we meet him, he's been dating Libby, a woman who he deems below him and is therefore embarrassed to be seen with her. Luckily, Libby meets someone else and dumps him. We're left to believe that Mike learned his lesson, but it's hard to say, because we never see or hear from him again.

While Mike was certainly no gem, there was something nice about Carrie having a male friend who is straight and totally platonic. This friendship was good for her, and I enjoyed seeing how comfortable she was with him. It's unfortunate she never found that type of friendship again.

Carrie's Reunited With Her Stolen Shoes

I love Tatum O'Neal, but hated her on Sex and the City. And that hatred still hasn't gone away, twenty years later. Why? Because her character, Kyra, is one of the most maddening humans in the entire series.

In one of the most iconic episodes, "A Woman's Right To Shoes," Carrie's invited to a birthday party for one of Kyra's multiple children. She's expected to give a gift, of course, and does so with a smile. During the party, Carrie's shoes are stolen from Kyra's home, and she proceeds to blame Carrie for spending so much money on shoes and "not having a real life." Carrie put it best when she said, "she shoe-shamed me!"

By the end of the episode, Kyra's put in her place and replaces Carrie's pricy (yet beautiful) Manolos, but it's not an easy road to get there. This episode made so many good points and truly stood the test of time, and I'd really like to see some of that same magic come back to And Just Like That. Naturally, I have a few ideas of how we can make it happen:

1. Carrie finally tracks down the mysterious Jessica, who Kyra noted as the likely culprit.
2. Allegra, Kyra's daughter, confesses to have stolen the shoes during the party. After all, they're shiny and she's old enough to know how to answer a phone, so I'm sure she could have swiped them for a game of dress up.
3. Kyra gets annoyed after everyone else in her friend group starts having babies, thereby requiring her to subsidize their lifestyle. She finally realizes just how much of a burden she's been putting on her friends all along, and finally gives Carrie the heartfelt apology she deserves.

Carrie's Reunited With Her (Other) Stolen Shoes

Carrie Bradshaw may be a lot of things, but a woman who can can keep track of her footwear she is not. My heart hurt for Carrie when she got mugged and no one seemed to care (although I did enjoy seeing Miranda get the hot guy, for once). As we know, Carrie loves nothing quite like her Manolos, and these were limited edition that she bought at a sample sale. We also know that Carrie's a little rough with her wardrobe (let's just call it well-loved), as evidenced by the lining of her Dior clutch in Paris.

In AJLT, I would love to see Carrie find her stolen Manolos as a vintage or second hand shop. In typical Carrie fashion, there will be a pen mark or a small tear that she instantly recognizes as her own. She will proceed to buy back her shoes and obsess over how to find the culprit decades later.

We Get An Update From Smith

I love Smith Jerrod, and I'm not the only one. He's the perfect boyfriend on paper, his only flaw to Samanthais that he got too successful. I never liked how things ended with them, and I know Smith doesn't make sense as a main cast member without Samantha, but there are still a few ways to include him. Maybe we see the girls attending one of his movie premieres, where he shares an update on his golden life. Or perhaps he's a big enough star now that he hires Carrie to ghostwrite his autobiography. Wherever you are, Smith, I hope you're happy.

Charlotte Embraces Her Horse Girl Energy

In Season 2's "Ex and the City," Charlotte overcomes her past trauma and finds love in riding horses once again. While there are some factual errors here — notably, Charlotte riding a horse on a Central Park jogging path — I can't get over the sheer brilliance of Charlotte being a horse girl. It's so on brand and so ahead of the time, making it wild that AJLT isn't tapping into this sitcom gold.

In And Just Like That, Charlotte is clearly starved for something to do. She doesn't have much going on and then annoys every other character with all her endless free time. I'm glad that she went back to work in Season 2, but a hobby (outside of and unrelated to her family life) wouldn't hurt either. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the things you do for pure enjoyment, especially as competing priorities come into play, but this is one very real challenge that I'd love to see Charlotte take on.

Victoria Becomes A Successful Handbag Designer At Long Last

We last saw Jennifer Coolidge's Victoria at her "purse party," where she tried to hawk her terrible handbags at unsuspecting friends after a divorce ("I CUT UP MY BEDSPREAD FOR THIS!"). Fashion trends in 2024 are nothing if not unexpected, thanks to the world of short-lived TikTok aesthetics. Victoria's bizarre designs fit right in with the maximalist micro-trends du jour, and TBH I'd love to see her become a success after the bags start trending. She's been through a lot, and she deserves it! There's even a petition to bring back Jennifer Coolidge in the reboot.

​Carries Curls Come Back In Full Force

While Sarah Jessica Parker looks stunning with any hairstyle, something about the straight blowout just doesn't feel very Carrie. While her waves make a few brief appearances, they're a far cry from the carefree curls of yesteryear. Even if they can't come back forever, I would love to at least see Carrie's signature curls make an appearance. Maybe a night out on the town with the girls?

​Jeremy And Carrie Get Some Closure

Jeremy, Carrie's high school sweetheart, was definitely one of her better boyfriends. Unfortunately, their brief reconciliation was cut short when he needed more time to work on his mental health (very fair and responsible!). But I couldn't help but wonder, what is he up to now? Did he make it out of Juno Spears? Did he get his life back on track and find love post-divorce? If not, I want these two to give it a shot. After all, we're already dealing with blasts from dating past, and TBH I’d rather take a walk down memory lane with Jeremy over Aidan any day!

ADHD Jazz Musician Is A Success

Ray King is introduced during Carrie and Mr. Big's night out (remember when they tried to be "just friends"?). He's charming and spontaneous, but has ADHD, which was apparently a dating dealbreaker during Y2K. In retrospect, Carrie and Big were meant to be, and it wasn't going to work out with anyone else while he was alive.

Post-Pelotongate, there's renewed hope for Carrie to find a healthy relationship. Imagine if present day Carrie stumbles into a jazz club and it happens to be one of Ray's shows. The vibe is good, the music is great, and these two take a moment to reconnect. I'd love to see Ray get on Adderall, find a partner who understands his ADHD, and live his best life.

A "Sex and the City" Movie Gets Made, The Right Way

Love them or hate them, the LA episodes are iconic. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew McConaughey guest star in an effort to turn Carrie's column into a movie. Although their pitch isn't quite the right fit (McConaughey was coming on pretty strong), I'd love to see Carrie give it another shot.

Gellar's on board to make it happen as well, telling Entertainment Tonight, "I feel like the [film development] girl, which is what she was then, is probably running her own studio now. Michael Patrick King, are you listening?!"

So there you have it! SMG's Debbie could return as an industry power player, and have the resources to create a film adaptation of Sex and the City from a female perspective (á la Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine). It would be fun and super meta, especially since we now have not one, but two SATC movies. This would also give Carrie something to do, now that book sales are down and her lame podcast has finally ended. A win-win!

Carrie Gives Therapy Another Shot

Carrie gets persuaded by her friends to go to therapy in Season 2. Of course, she starts dating Seth (Bon Jovi), a fellow patient, and is too embarrassed to go back for more sessions. This is disappointing because not only does Carrie need therapy, but she herself admits that the therapist made some good points, and quits when she finally starts making progress.

Since then, she's gone through a lot but has never stepped foot in a therapist's office again. AJLT saw Miranda, Steve, and Brady go to therapy — which was very much needed, but I hated that whole storyline so much. Carrie's the one who I’d like to see her dig deeper, and I think the character could benefit from some depth as well.

Carrie Finds Support In Wallis Wysel

In Season 2, we meet Wallis Wysel, Carrie's dream mother figure and mentor — in another timeline, at least. Unfortunately, her emotionally immature son Vaughn (Justin Theroux) ruined what could have been, and Carrie and Wallis were both equally broken up about it. Breakups can be rough, and it makes sense that Carrie didn't keep in touch with her ex's mother. But now, two decades later, I'd love to see these two kindred spirits reconnect. Perhaps at one of those "Women In The Arts" luncheons? Carrie could definitely use a strong female presence like Wallis — someone who has been there, done that, and will cheer her on — at this point in her life.

The Great Nina Katz Mystery Is Finally Solved

Season 5 brought us Nina Katz, AKA "the face girl," AKA the bane of Carrie's existence for about 23 minutes. Initially, she felt some type of way about Carrie, given that she dated Aidan right after their second disastrous breakup — hence the face. Carrie took it upon herself to track Nina down (!) and confront her (!!).

Unhinged behavior all around, but I kind of get it. After all, Nina only heard one side of the story, and Aidan was probably still pretty devastated over their broken engagement. She was reacting to the only information she had — which wasn't much — and Carrie was still carrying around guilt, which is why she let a passing look from a stranger get under her skin like this.

According to Samantha, Heather Graham, and pretty much everyone else this episode, Nina Katz is a cool person with an extremely cool job. I wouldn't be surprised if this was out of character for her, and I could see her hitting it off with Carrie if they ran into each other in present day.

Also, I really need to know what went down between Nina and Aidan. By the time she pops up in Season 5, she's no longer with Aidan. Maybe she did something equally as bad as Carrie. Maybe she learned to stop being so judgmental over the years. Or maybe she and Carrie can just laugh about how after all this time, Aidan still expects the women in his life to compromise who they are and fit into his narrative.

Carrie's Family Appears, Or Is At Least Mentioned

Now I fully understand that I may have been the only person to watch The Carrie Diaries (SATC's ill-fated prequel), but there were certain aspects of it that worked: Carrie getting her start in New York, meeting Samantha, and her sweet family dynamic. There are a few plot holes between the short-lived series and its predecessor — for instance, Prequel Carrie was raised by a loving father after her mother's death, but OG Series Carrie tells a heartbreaking story of her dad "quitting" her and her mom during early childhood during a therapy session. However, I'd be willing to ignore all of this if we got any type of mention or nod to Carrie's actual, cannon-approved family in AJLT. Or even a Dorrit appearance. IYKYK.

1. We thought our first love was perfect and would argue with anyone who wanted us to take things slow with them.

I'll never forget the first time I fell in love at 19. I thought my ex was the "wind beneath my wings" because he had a great sense of humor and was creative like me. I told myself he was the person I was going to marry so I was offended when my parents didn't think he was mature enough to be in a serious relationship. If this sounds familiar, pull up a chair because Menon explains why we tend to idealize our first love.

"Your first love is your first experience with romantic love too, hence you typically see it with rose-colored glasses. The overwhelming emotion is often infatuation, which tends to overshadow the more critical and analytical part of our brain," she says. Sadly, this sounds like something my parents told me before but I couldn't fathom how true it was as a teen.

As the Clinical Director at Southern California Sunrise Recovery Center, Cavins has seen this play out before too. He says, "In your first relationship, there is a tendency to put your partner on a pedestal. The excitement of new love can create a powerful emotional fog that makes it hard to see flaws clearly."

Essentially, this "excitement of having a boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner supersedes" our ability to questions things we normally wouldn't put up with, according to Menon.

2. We tried to ignore the how many times our first loves disagreed with our values or goals.

While some couples are able to make their relationship work despite having a different outlook on life, sometimes it can be a sign that things aren't going to work long-term. Cavins says, "One major red flag is disregarding differences in values or goals for the future. For instance, you wish to become a parent someday while your spouse swears this will never happen— or vice versa. Early on, you might dismiss these differences, believing love will conquer all. However, these mismatched priorities can lead to resentment and challenges over time."

Honestly, I probably should've ran whenever my ex would mock my belief in God only for us to have to attend his mother and stepfather's church whenever I visited. There was so much confusion there, but I tried to dismiss it as something he needed time to work out.

Menon adds, "If this relationship makes you feel like you'e standing in quick sand - where you are trying to move forward but often feel held back in your individual aspirations, it may not be the right fit for you."

3. We thought it was 'cute' when our first loves made suggestions about which friends to avoid or what clothes to wear.

Cavins says, "Excessively possessive behaviors are another red flag that people often ignore easily when they fall in love for the first time. People tend to justify such behaviors by citing that it's due to love or protective instincts." I'm all for being in a relationship where your partner's able to see different sides of a picture, but controlling behavior shouldn't come with that. What might that look like?

Cavins says, "Your partner may frequently check in on you, offer opinions on who you should spend time with, or subtly pressure you into making choices that suit them." For example, your partner could start off making suggestions about your style that slowly morph into them controlling everything you wear. Somehow I went from being a self-professed 'girly-girl' to trying to emulate the style of 'sneakerheads' in a short amount of time. Though I love wearing everything from New Balance to Niké sneakers now, it's in a way that feels cohesive with my style.

You may have brushed this kind of behavior off because, again, you thought it meant your first love wanted the best for you. "It is understandable that such behavior hypothetically may come off as pleasant or affirming; however, they often signal an unhealthy dynamic of control rather than mutual respect," says

4. We always gave in when our first loves forced us to be affectionate.

*Sigh* I'm shaking my head for my younger self because there were many times I didn't advocate for myself in my first romantic relationship. I'd often give in to affectionate or intimate moments despite wanting personal space so I wouldn't be seen as 'boring' or uninterested in my ex. Menon says, "Given the infatuation, your first relationship can feel all-consuming and often is codependent. Hence, this may result in you overlooking that your partner does not respect your boundaries or desire for personal space."

Partly because the excitement of the relationship makes you want to spend all of your time together, until you don't. And then, it is often too late to correct a maladaptive historical pattern.

4. We always made excuses for why our partners would shower us with affection only to ignore us days later.

Let's be clear, 'love bombing' feels confusing and awful. No one should make you feel like you're the center of their universe only to ignore your calls or texts days later. But, this probably happened while you were with your first love. Cavins says, "There's a tendency for people to brush off their first love's emotional unavailability. When, for example, a partner is not responsive and not engaging in intimate discussions or does not express their feelings, some may rationalize this as them being 'just not ready.'" If that were the case, this person wouldn't have made you feel like being with you is something they truly wanted.

Of that, Cavins believes "it's important to recognize these behaviors early" because "they can result in a one-side emotional investment that leaves one party feeling unfulfilled in the long run." Sadly, my first love would have days where he was super sweet to me only to feel like I was smothering him with attention. This is also the same person who begged me to remain in our romantic relationship when he went to basic training although I felt it would be better if we chose to be friends. Imagine my surprise (and hurt) when he told me we should have an open relationship months after getting stationed for the first time.

I should've known better because he was never 100% on board with the idea of marriage until after he graduated from basic training. Cavins calls this "emotional disconnectedness." His further explanation is this is "when the initial chemistry between the partners subsides that emotional attachment matters." To avoid this, he feels "identifying and addressing any of these is critical in a case where you are looking to create a strong and healthy bond."

5. We ignored the ways our former partner blamed us whenever they got in trouble with their parents or an authority figure.

Did your first love have a hard time taking responsibility for things that went wrong by gaslighting you to absorb the blow of their mistakes? If you've furiously nodding, we should start a support group. Cavins says, "A key sign is a lack of personal or relational growth. Healthy relationships encourage mutual development, but if one partner stays stuck in old patterns while the other grows, it can create frustration and distance."

At no point should you be the reason why your first love got in trouble after answering their parents' house phone late at night after telling you to call at a certain time. It's situations like this that should've alerted us to awful behavior, but I can see how easy it is to dismiss things.

What if I'm in love for the first time and recognize these signs?

First, my heart goes out to you for being in a relationship that doesn't feel healthy. It hurts when we realize the person we thought was so great is anything but. The road to letting go of idealization may be long, but you can and will get better. Cavins says, "In the process of self-healing and recovery, the first step that must be taken is self-reflection. Ask yourself all of the necessary questions that arise, such as what this relationship means for you, what your boundaries are, and what this partnership has revealed about you as an individual."

I keep saying this, but relying on journal prompts can help you unpack a lot of things and, thankfully, Cavins agrees. He says, "You could always opt to talk to a specialist or being journaling in order to find some closure and draw meaning from the experience." Also, he wants you to start "making new memories." But, don't be passive about it.

"You will have to engage yourself in activities that will help redirect the focus of your thoughts. This could include joining a new class, engaging in a hobby, or traveling that involves some independence. These experiences can help shift your mindset from loss to growth and reinforce your identity outside of the relationship," says Cavins.

Another important thing you can do is "solicit help from others," according to him. "Calling on people you trust, like friends and family, to talk about these feelings can significantly help in healing," he says. This also helped me navigate life outside of my first real romantic relationship, reminding me that I still had a lot of love in my life that didn't begin or end with my ex.

Here are Menon's tips:

• Let yourself grieve — Let this loss run its course. If you need to feel angry, sad, distraught, nostalgic. Allow yourself the full breadth of this experience. If I ask you right now "don't think a out a yellow monkey", I can bet you just thought of a yellow monkey. We call this "the imp of the mind". When you reject feelings, or thoughts, they come back 10 times more fiercely. To move the feeling along, we must let ourselves experience it.
• Rediscover your identity (So important) — Your first love is often intertwined with self-discovery, and identity formation. Reconsider your goals, interests, values, friendships and hobbies and try to build your own sense of identity and individuality.

I saw my first love again and it feels like we're falling in love all over. Can we have a happy and healthy relationship?

I'm not going to tell you to run even though I told my ex I never wanted to speak or talk to him again. You could easily reconnect with the first person you fell in love with and realize that you're both in a place where you can have something beautiful. However, Cavins and Menon want you to be mindful if you're in this position.

"Reconnection is possible," begins Menon, "if both parties can objectively claim that they have grown emotionally and resolved the issues that held their relationship back." But, "if the reconnection is built on one person growing and the other not, it is likely to fail," she alerts. You'll need to "proceed with caution," she says because "your first love was a nostalgic era in your life that can cloud your judgement." To put it more clearly, she doesn't want you confuse "the fuzzies" with a "true knowing that the two of you can make it work."

Cavins says, "Reconnecting with a first love can trigger a strong wave of emotions, but it is important that such a decision is made with caution and a strong sense of pragmatism. Personal growth is a primary factor. Each party in the relationship must ask themselves how they have grown and evolved as individuals over time. If past patterns of conflict, immaturity, or unhealthy dynamics remain unaddressed, the same issues could resurface."

He wants you to consider these things:

• Are there any active relationships or past engagements that would make it rather difficult? That's because the feelings that come with reigniting old flames are very strong and can alter a person’s life, making it essential to start thinking from all angles before going ahead with it.
• Address previous challenges that caused the breakup in the first place. If the reasons behind the breakup have been resolved or do not exist anymore, then yes, meeting again has its prospects. However, keep in mind that, at times, memories can be selective and unfavorably distort the truth by overplaying the good qualities while avoiding the negative ones.
• Only rekindle things if both individuals are in a healthy emotional state and the decision is grounded in practical, mutual considerations—not just sentimentality or romanticized memories. Clear and honest discussions and an understanding of purpose are vital in ascertaining if rekindling the relationship will be worthwhile for both parties or if it will simply be an act of revisiting unresolved emotions.