Unfolding The Truth On Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker has been appearing on our screens for more than four decades. In her role as Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City" and "And Just Like That," Parker has connected with people all over the world, helping to create one of television's most popular franchises. But Parker's own life is pretty far removed from the hijinks we've seen Carrie Bradshaw get involved in onscreen.
"My job requires me to put on a little dress and run around the streets of New York in heels," she told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004. "But I also had the financial means to hire a yoga teacher to come to my house while my sitter watched the newborn. For 95 percent of the world, that's not realistic." Parker, well aware of her privilege, continued, "So when I hear that people are discussing how this actress got skinny, I say, 'Who gives a crap how she got in shape?' We should find other role models."
From her humble beginnings to her hands-on approach to work, join us as we explore the untold truth of Sarah Jessica Parker.
Her parents divorced when she was two
Sarah Jessica Parker was born in Nelsonville, Ohio, on March 25, 1965. Shortly after her birth, when Parker was around two years old, her parents split up. During an interview with NPR, Parker elaborated on the breakup, saying, "I'm sort of mystified by how little trauma I feel about it. I can't pretend that it in any way sort of shaped my own feelings about marriage, or a relationship ... And that might be because my mother remarried fairly quickly, and my father had a relationship fairly soon after that."
It seems that Parker, by her own admission, adjusted fairly quickly to the new normal of her parents being separated, but that couldn't have been easy for the "And Just Like That" star, considering how young she was when they split up. However, Parker seemingly came to terms with the new arrangement, telling NPR, "I knew them only as separate people, separate of one another."
Sarah Jessica Parker used to be a ballet dancer
Sarah Jessica Parker has already had an incredible career as an actor, starring in a plethora of popular TV shows and movies. However, she almost had a very different career, having studied to be a ballet dancer at the American Ballet Theatre for two years when she was a teenager. It would seem that her ballet training hasn't left her, with Parker telling The New Yorker, "I have dreams all the time that I'm still dancing."
Unsurprisingly, it was Parker's suggestion to cast acclaimed ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov as Carrie Bradshaw's love interest on "Sex and the City." "I've loved him forever, and what he doesn't know and I still haven't told him is that I danced with ABT [American Ballet Theatre] back in the days when he was there," she told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004. "I actually danced with him! I'm too embarrassed to tell him now."
She doesn't come from money
It might surprise some fans to find out that Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't come from a wealthy background. Although her "Sex and the City" character, Carrie Bradshaw, is accustomed to wearing designer garments, Parker grew up as one of eight children, and her parents were far from wealthy. "I remember being poor. There was no great way to hide it," the actor told The New York Times. "We didn't have electricity sometimes. We didn't have Christmases sometimes, or we didn't have birthdays sometimes ... or the phone company would call and say, 'We're shutting your phones off.' And we were all old enough to either get the calls, or watch my mother's reactions or watch my parents shuffling the money around.”
As a result, despite achieving huge success as an actor, Parker doesn't get complacent about her earnings. "I'll never think I have money, because I spent so many years without," she told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004. "I've been financially responsible for so many people for such a long time — my family — that it's not enough to have money for myself." Despite being one of TV's most recognizable faces, Parker hasn't forgotten where she comes from. And when it comes to her family, the actor is firmly focused on ensuring everyone is taken care of financially.
Sarah Jessica Parker really works in her shoe store sometimes
In 2018, Sarah Jessica Parker opened her first shoe store in New York City to promote her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Collection, which she followed up with a flagship store in 2020. While many celebrities launch retail products, very few can be found working on the shop floor of their stores. However, Parker has regularly been spotted at the New York branches of SJP, proving just how passionate she is about the shoes that she's selling.
A 2023 profile of Parker by The New Yorker referenced the actor's commitment to helping customers, with the writer detailing an intimate interaction Parker had with a customer purchasing shoes. And when a British customer asked Parker for a particular size, she apparently replied, "Don't worry, I can do the conversions — if you have the patience, then we have the time." Clearly, the "Sex and the City" icon is committed to selling her shoe line, even if that means meeting with customers herself.
She thinks being a mother is 'exciting' and 'heartbreaking'
Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Matthew Broderick are the parents of three children — son James and twin daughters Marion and Tabitha. While both Parker and Broderick are very busy with their many TV and movie projects, their family seems to be the couple's primary focus. In an interview with L'Officiel, Parker opened up about her home life, saying, "Being a mother is great, it's exciting, it's difficult, it's heartbreaking. All at once." She continued, "Watching children grow up and face obstacles that we have never encountered before is very complicated — and not just for them."
Parker also made it clear that she tries her best to balance her busy work schedule with her priorities as a parent. "I love working outside the home, but being a mother is an indescribable joy," she told L'Officiel. "It is a balance that we all seek, but it is generally illusory." Regardless of whether she's working on a TV show, movie, or her own business, Parker prioritizes her role as a parent to three children, showing just how important family life is to the actor.
She's not worried about aging
Having been born on March 25, 1965, Sarah Jessica Parker turned 58 in 2023. As a person in the public eye, Parker regularly finds herself subjected to scrutiny over how she looks, but the "Divorce" star has a healthy approach to aging. During a 2023 interview with Vogue France, Parker explained, "I don't really think about my age, I don't see it as something to worry about. Well, I don't know if it's denial or that I just don't want to face reality." She continued, "I don't see the point of trying to suspend time."
While the pressure of being a Hollywood star likely weighs on celebrities every now and then, Parker seems to have managed to sidestep the judgment thrown in her direction. "Nowadays, I don't really feel any pressure, but at times I have the impression that others may be more concerned about my appearance, which is rather strange," she told Vogue France. "Like the fact that I have wrinkles or white hair. I think there are more interesting things to do with my time, don't you?"
While many stars use Botox and fillers, Parker seems content with how she looks, telling Vogue she prefers "less invasive treatments" instead. And according to her Vogue France interview, she certainly feels as though other people care much more about her looks and how she's aging than she does.
Sarah Jessica Parker still rides the New York subway
Despite being a massive star with a hit television show, Sarah Jessica Parker is not averse to riding the subway in New York City, where she lives. During an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2023, Parker revealed that she regularly uses the public mode of transport, saying, "I took it all day yesterday." As for why she forgoes cabs or cars in favor of using the subway, Parker told Stern, "99% of the time, the fastest way to get there is the train." While many stars likely get swarmed by fans every time they leave the house, Parker appears to be a seasoned New Yorker with no problem navigating public transport.
Of course, not every subway trip has been a joy for Parker. When Stern asked if she'd witnessed some terrible things while riding the subway, Parker responded, "I've seen it all ... I think I've seen what most people see who are regulars, which is people going to the bathroom, people clipping their nails ... people finding pleasure." It's safe to say Parker has experienced the same horrors that most of us have while using public transport — but that hasn't made her shy away from using the service.
Sarah Jessica Parker enjoys making her husband laugh
Sarah Jessica Parker met fellow actor Matthew Broderick in 1991 via the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York. In an interview with The New York Times, Parker revealed that Broderick asked her out over a voicemail, saying, "He left a very charming, very self-effacing message on the machine." The pair went on to tie the knot on May 19, 1997. In October 2002, Parker and Broderick welcomed their first child, James. Seven years later, in June 2009, the couple welcomed twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha, via surrogate.
Parker sang Broderick's praises during her interview with O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004, saying, "I have a fantastic husband. Here's the honeymoon part: I still think he's the funniest, wittiest, most clever man I've ever known." She continued, "He's still the person who makes me laugh harder than anybody — and I still want him to laugh at me ... It means something for him to laugh, because he's so bright."
Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't like taking selfies
As a big star, Sarah Jessica Parker has a lot of fans, and sometimes they want to take a selfie with the actor. However, Parker isn't a big fan of taking selfies, and she seemingly has a number of go-to excuses she uses when fans request to take a photo with her. During an interview on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2023, Parker revealed, "I'll say, 'I'm so sorry, I can't take a selfie." She continued, "Sometimes I'll say ... 'The government doesn't let me take a picture.'"
While some fans are bound to be disappointed by Parker's policy on photographs, it's clear that she remains incredibly polite whenever people approach her. As she revealed to Stern, "I'm always really nice, but I tell them, 'I'm terrible at selfies, I don't take them well, but what's your name? How are you?'"
The New Yorker also noted that Parker was asked for a selfie by one customer while working in her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Collection store in New York. Parker politely replied, "I can't, because I'm working right now." Not wanting to upset her fans, Parker graciously said, "You are free to take as many pictures of me as you want." Basically, if you were hoping to one day snag a selfie with Carrie Bradshaw herself, it simply isn't going to happen.
She didn't think she'd work with her Sex and the City co-stars again
When "Sex and the City" came to an end in 2004, Sarah Jessica Parker truly thought it was the end of an era. At the time, she didn't even foresee an onscreen reunion happening with her co-stars — Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. "We'll always know one another, but I doubt we'll work together again," she told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004. "Well, Cynthia and I might, because we worked together before, in theater. But we're forever in one another's lives."
Of course, the foursome would reunite for two movies — 2008's "Sex and the City" and 2010's "Sex and the City 2." Then, in 2021, Parker, Nixon, and Davis reunited for the spin-off TV series "And Just Like That." Back in 2004, Parker simply wished her co-stars well in their future endeavors away from the "Sex and the City" universe. "I want the same thing for them that I want for myself: new experiences," she told O, The Oprah Magazine. "I'm not worried about them getting roles. They'll go on and do exciting things that scare and challenge them, too." Fans, of course, will be relieved that Parker and her co-stars decided to return to the roles that made them superstars to continue the "Sex and the City" story.
She's too 'shy' for onscreen nudity
Fans of "Sex and the City" and "And Just Like That" have likely noticed that Sarah Jessica Parker never does onscreen nudity, but there's a very good reason for this. During an interview on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2023, Parker revealed that she stipulated from the beginning of "Sex and the City" that she didn't want to do onscreen nudity and that creator Darren Star was fine with her decision. As for why she didn't want to appear naked onscreen, Parker told Stern, "I think I was just shy."
She continued, "I think I just never felt comfortable exposing myself that way, and I never had any judgments about anybody else doing it; it wasn't like a morality thing ... but I just never felt comfortable being nude." Understandably, Parker didn't want to be naked onscreen, but she supported her co-stars who did decide to partake in onscreen nudity for the show. "I was shy," she told Stern.
She had her own #MeToo experiences
In recent years, a plethora of people in Hollywood have come forward with their own experiences of abuse in the entertainment industry as part of the #MeToo movement. Sarah Jessica Parker, too, has her own stories related to inappropriate behavior in the industry, as she told NPR, "I started recognizing countless experiences of men behaving poorly, inappropriately, and all the ways that I had made it possible to keep coming to work or to remain on set, or to simply ... just push it down, push it away, find a little space for it and move on."
As for how she dealt with realizing that she'd had her own #MeToo experiences, Parker told NPR, "[I] really just didn't allow it to consume me. To be honest, I don't know why I either wasn't courageous or more destroyed by some of the things that I was privy to, that I was on the receiving end of." While Parker has remained fairly quiet about the details of her personal experiences, it's clear that she has faced difficulties working as a woman in the entertainment industry. Parker's decision to voice some of these experiences is so important as it shows solidarity with everyone who has ever faced abuse, assault, or inappropriate behavior in any circumstance.
She insists the Kim Cattrall situation isn't a 'catfight'
Kim Cattrall's absence from Season 1 of "And Just Like That" was an uncomfortable reminder of the diva feud narrative that has followed her and Sarah Jessica Parker for years. Ahead of the first "Sex and the City" movie's 2008 premiere, The Telegraph reported that the "SATC" cast had turned against Cattrall when she sought a higher salary while the show was still filming. Sources claimed the cast even started being total mean girls by making Cattrall eat alone during meal breaks.
In 2018, Cattrall made her feelings about Parker abundantly clear and gave fans zero hope that the two women would ever work together again. Parker had publicly expressed her condolences to Cattrall after her brother's death, and Cattrall responded on Instagram. "Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family. You are not my friend," she wrote. "So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy."
When Parker was asked about Cattrall on "The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter" podcast in 2022, she called the media out for mischaracterizing the messy situation. "I just wish that they would stop calling this a 'catfight' or an 'argument,' because it doesn't reflect [reality]. There has been one person talking," she said. Cattrall did make a brief solo appearance on Season 2 of "AJLT," and Parker told "Access Hollywood" she was pleased with the scene, saying, "It's really nice, and it's a sentimental moment."