This Is How Much The Cast Of Sex And The City Is Worth
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After years of speculation and hope for a third Sex and the City movie, Sarah Jessica Parker shared some epic news on Instagram in January 2021. She channeled her inner Carrie Bradshaw, writing, "I couldn't help but wonder... where are they now?" Instead of a third film, the show is returning with a spin-off called And Just Like That.... which will air on the HBO Max streaming platform. SJP is back on board, obviously. Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon will also reprise their roles.
It's unclear which other actors from the original series will be on this new show, but Kim Cattrall will definitely not be a part of the fun. It's a major bummer for the viewers who miss Samantha Jones. For Cattrall, it means forgoing a lot of money. In January 2021, Variety reported that Parker, Nixon, and Davis will "serve as executive producers" in addition to acting in the new show, earning "over $1 million per episode." The reprisal will play out over 10 episodes, which means each of them will make at least $10 million.
Cattrall is passing up a major paycheck, but she, just like the rest of the show's stars, isn't hurting for cash. Yes, they've all had varying degrees of success outside of the series, but none of them are broke. Most of them have continued with acting, but some of them have diversified, getting into entirely different careers. Let's take a look at how much money they've made throughout the years.
Sarah Jessica Parker turned herself into a brand
Carrie Bradshaw "couldn't help but wonder" when she wrote her weekly column. Meanwhile, fans couldn't fathom how Carrie wore Manolo Blahnik heels while she used a credit card to buy tomatoes. Perhaps, that's because Carrie's fashions were influenced by her real-life counterpart, the actually very wealthy Sarah Jessica Parker, who is worth an estimated $150 million. Of course, Parker earned some hefty paydays as an actor and a producer, including a reported $147 million for the last 46 episodes of the show (via Celebrity Net Worth). In 2019, Parker recalled, "When I left the series I had all that experience and then when I became interested in businesses outside [television], I felt at least as if I had been in high-stakes situations [and was able to] make good choices, per Page Six.
She continued pulling double duty as an actor/producer on HBO's Divorce, in addition to making more of those "good choices," which brought in lots of money. Parker appeared in commercials for Gap, Fendi, Garnier Nutrisse, and Stella Artois, among others. However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. SJP turned herself into a bonafide brand, literally. Her company SJP By Sarah Jessica Parker sells clothes, shoes, perfume, accessories, and more. Parker created her own wine label, Invivo X, SJP — a notable departure from Carrie's beloved cosmopolitans. Parker doesn't "need" the paycheck from the spin-off show, but fans can't "help but wonder" why anyone would turn that down.... cough, cough, Kim Cattrall.
Kim Cattrall doesn't need any more SATC money
Sex and the City wasn't Kim Cattrall's first acting gig, but playing Samantha Jones was definitely her most high profile job. She parlayed that popularity into endorsements for Olay, Pepsi, and Nissan. Unfortunately for fans, Cattrall told Piers Morgan (via the Daily Mail), "Me playing her, that I can assure you will never happen. For me it's over, it's over with no regrets." She believed returning to the role would be "going backwards in life" and insisted that she never had an interest in a third movie, claiming, "The answer was always no and a respectful, firm, no." In the wake of those remarks, it's not surprising that Cattrall is not a part of the reboot.
It's not as if she hasn't been busy since Sex and the City, but Cattrall hasn't found another project that was nearly as successful. In 2005, she was in the movie Ice Princess, which wasn't popular with critics or audiences, per Rotten Tomatoes. In 2009, she was on Producing Parker, which only lasted for two seasons, according to IMDb. She had another two-season run on the show Sensitive Skin from 2014 to 2016 before landing a starring role on 2020's Filthy Rich, but the show got canceled before the first season even finished airing. Regardless, life really isn't too bad for Cattrall. Celebrity Net Worth reports that she is worth $60 million, which is quite "fabulous," as Samantha would say.
The New York governor slammed Cynthia Nixon's finances
After playing Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City, Cynthia Nixon appeared on TV shows including The Big C, The Affair, Hannibal, and Broad City. However, she didn't spend all of her time in between Sex and the City projects as an actor. She ran against incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo to be the democratic candidate for New York governor in 2018. This move focused the spotlight on her finances, because she had to disclose her tax records as a part of her campaign. Celebrity Net Worth reported that Nixon has a $25 million net worth, however, her loopholes to receive tax deductions drew some scrutiny, particularly the fact that she cited her own S Corp as her main source of income. In 2017 alone, the S Corp brought in over $1 million.
Nixon made $5 million from 2013 to 2017, per Politico. Through her corporation, Nixon pocketed $2.1 million. The rest of the cash paid the salary of her wife Christine Marinoni, taxes, retirement savings, and "professional development" costs, which included hair and makeup. During a debate, Cuomo dissed Nixon, declaring (via Entrepreneur), "you are a corporation," which prompted her to argue, "I am a person." According to the New York Post, Nixon paid Marinoni "nearly $100,000 as a 'business partner.'" After Nixon abandoned her attempt at politics, her finances ceased being a hot topic of conversation, and she continued acting, including a starring role on the 2020 Netflix series Ratched.
Kristin Davis had a brief stint in reality TV
Kristin Davis continued acting outside of playing Charlotte York on Sex and the City, but Couples Retreat and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D were far from iconic films. However, she did seem to find her own niche with holiday movies. In 2006, she starred in the Christmas movie Deck the Halls along with Sarah Jessica Parker's real-life husband Matthew Broderick. Her other holiday movie credits include the Hallmark original A Heavenly Christmas and two Netflix movies, Holiday in the Wild and The Knight Before Christmas. Just call her "Kristmas Davis" — get it?
While none of those movies were major hits, TV movies and box office bombs can apparently still equate to a paycheck at the end of the day. Celebrity Net Worth reported that Davis has an estimated $35 million in the bank, which is a number that Charlotte would have (probably) approved of. However, it's unclear how she would have felt about joining a reality TV show.
In 2020, Davis hosted Labor of Love, per Deadline. The show focused on Kristy Katzmann's journey to find a man to father her child. In May 2020, Variety reported that the show "debuted to pretty poor numbers." It's unclear if the show will be back for a second season, but Davis certainly doesn't need the hosting gig thanks to her And Just Like That... salary.
Chris Noth made a mint on many iconic shows
Chris Noth wasn't one of the main cast member on Sex and the City, but his recurring role as Mr. Big was "abso-f**king-lutely" iconic. Arguably, Carrie and Big's ups and downs served as the backbone of the series and its two movies. While most of the show's actors struggled to land recognizable roles before and after the series, that didn't apply to Noth.
He played Det. Mike Logan on the original Law & Order series for five seasons. In 1995, Law and Order creator Dick Wolf told the Associated Press that letting go of Noth was "one of the toughest decisions," admitting that Noth was entitled to a "huge" pay raise if his contract was renewed, which "would be impossible to grant, given the age of the show." It took a while, but they presumably reached an agreement about his salary since Noth reprised the role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2005 to 2008. Noth was also one of the leads on the smash hit The Good Wife from 2009 to 2016. His IMDb page is full of consistently good acting credits before, during, and after Sex and the City, which is nothing short of impressive.
In addition to acting, Noth was in a series of commercials for the vacation rental home company HomeToGo, and he appeared in an advertisement for Lilly Pulitzer for Target. That very steady career amounted to an estimated $20 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
John Corbett sought a new fortune in country music
Aside from playing Carrie Bradshaw's love interest Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City, John Corbett is also well known for his role in the massive hit movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and its sequel. Pre-Sex and the City, Corbett starred in the popular TV series Northern Exposure, and in more recent times, Corbett was a part of Netflix's To All The Boys I've Loved Before and it's follow-up movie To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. However, acting isn't his only passion. In 2006, he released a self-titled country album. Six years later, he dropped his second album, Leaving Nothin Behind. Although he returned to Hollywood, Corbett did walk away from the industry to find success in music, which he clearly did considering his touring gigs with ZZ Top, Lisa Marie Presley, Charlie Daniels, and Asleep at the Wheel, per his Apple Music bio.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Corbett was a licensed hair stylist before he got into the entertainment industry, which started with a role in a Samsung commercial. He went on to do voice over work for Walgreens commercials and Applebee's advertisements, in addition to starring in commercials for Ford and Energy Star. With decades of working in multiple sectors of the entertainment industry, Corbett has amassed an estimated $9.5 million net worth and very well-rounded set of skills.
David Eigenberg has been cashing those One Chicago franchise checks
Following his time as Miranda Hobbes' husband Steve Brady on Sex and the City, David Eigenberg found work on popular shows. including Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Monk, and NCIS, but those were just one-episode guest appearances. He didn't truly find his footing until 2012, when he became a part of the One Chicago franchise, playing Christopher Herrmann on Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Justice.
On the surface, Sex and the City and the One Chicago series couldn't be more different. However, Eigenberg explained a parallel between both shows during a 2014 OnMilwaukee interview, remarking that "one of the main elements of Chicago Fire is the city of Chicago. ... every frame of it is shot in Chicago." Discussing, the SATC movie sequel, which primarily took place in Abu Dhabi instead of New York City like show did, Eigenberg said, "New York is what we lost in Sex and the City 2. And I would love for them to land back into that because it's a great city."
Could that mean that Steve will be a part of And Just Like That...? Perhaps, returning home to the Big Apple could be enough to get Eigenberg to hop a flight from O'Hare to JFK for at least a cameo. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he's accumulated a $6 million throughout the course of his career.
Publishing and acting paid off for Evan Handler
Sex and the City fans first saw Evan Handler when he joined the show as Charlotte York's divorce lawyer, Harry Goldenblatt. His character stuck around, eventually becoming Charlotte's second husband. Outside of the HBO series, Handler continued to find success as an actor with major roles in Californication, Power, and The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, among other popular TV shows.
Concurrently with acting, Handler has flourished as a published author. In 1997, he released an autobiographical book called Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors, which chronicled his experiences with his leukemia diagnosis. He published his second book in 2008, It's Only Temporary...The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive, which was a collection of essays that documented his life after cancer. Handler aslo applied his writing talents as a contributor for HuffPost from 2011 to 2017. He has also written for Oprah Winfrey's website. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Handler garnered an estimated $8 million as an actor and a writer.
Jason Lewis went from high fashion model to Lifetime
Smith Jerrod was arguably Samantha Jones' most significant love interest on Sex and the City. Initially, he went by his given name, "Jerry Jerrod," and worked as a waiter at a sushi restaurant. Eventually, Samantha rebranded him as "Smith Jerrod," helping him become a very famous model and actor. His real-life counterpart, Jason Lewis, was more than prepared to play Smith, because it was truly a case of art imitating life. Before joining the show, Lewis worked as a high fashion model, walking the runway and posing for Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, and Guess, as reported by Vogue Paris.
After Sex and the City, Lewis focused on acting, with multi-episode arcs on Charmed and Brothers & Sisters. He eventually joined the Lifetime's Flowers in the Attic movie franchise, which was based on V.C. Andrews' Dollanganger book series, starring in If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday. After that, he starred in the short-lived series Midnight, Texas, which was canceled in 2018 after two seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Celebrity Net Worth claims that Lewis amassed a $4 million net worth, which is a number that Samantha would probably be proud of.
Mario Cantone made money from game shows
Mario Cantone played Charlotte York's wedding-planner-turned-BFF Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City, which is probably his best known role since he spent much of the rest of his career just being himself. His charming personality paid off, earning him an estimated $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Cantone is a stand-up comic who was a regular on Comedy Central, flexing his comedic chops on Chappelle's Show, and serving as a roaster at the Comedy Central Roasts for Joan Rivers and Dennis Leary. He starred in a one-man show on Showtime, called Mario Cantone: Laugh Whore, per Entertainment Weekly.
Besides being an actor and a comedian, Cantone is also a well-seasoned game show participant, participating as a celebrity panelist on Match Game, The $100,000 Pyramid, and Hollywood Squares. In addition to his television appearances, Cantone directly connects with fans (and brings in some extra income) by making personalized video messages for Cameo, charging $100 per video, which could add up to a decent side hustle.
Kyle MacLachlan went the booze business route
Charlotte York's marriage (and sexual activity) with Trey MacDougal didn't last, but leaving Sex and the City didn't derail Kyle MacLachlan's career by any means. He also played Orson Hodge on Desperate Housewives from 2006 to 2012, had a recurring role as The Captain on How I Met Your Mother, and enjoyed a mini Sex and the City reunion with Chris Noth on The Good Wife. On top of that, he voiced a character in the video game Grand Theft Auto III, per Rolling Stone.
MacLachlan even launched a whole new career during the coronavirus shutdown, starting his own wine brand, Pursued by Bear. In November 2020, MacLachlan told Haute Living, "I like my day job but my day job has been closed for a while because of this pandemic. There are a few actors that are working in a very strict capacity, but by and large, most of us are biding our time and waiting for production to resume at a level and intensity that it used to be." He has been enjoying the business so much that he envisions his son running it one day. He admitted that although it has been "challenging" and "time-consuming" to run the winery, he's been loving it, describing the brand as "the first thing [he] think[s] about when [he] wake[s] up." So, how much does acting and winemaking pay? $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Mikhail Baryshnikov danced his way to a fortune
In the final season of Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw dated an artist named Aleksandr Petrovsky, who took her to Paris. Mikhail Baryshnikov is a very famous artist in real life, too, with a focus on dance. People around the world revere Baryshnikov as a ballet icon, but some SATC viewers who aren't familiar with the dance world will forever regard him as the love interest that Carrie referred to as "The Russian."
His American Ballet Theatre bio states that he joined the dance company in 1974, eventually becoming the Artistic Director in 1989. He brought his ballet talents and acting prowess to the film The Turning Point, which earned him Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. In 1990, Baryshnikov and Mark Morris started their own ballet company, called the White Oak Dance Project, which he shut down in 2002 to start a new dance center, according to the Los Angeles Times, eventually opening the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City in 2005.
While we don't have specific salary numbers for "The Russian," we presume running premiere ballet organizations all over the U.S. pays a pretty penny, considering he ended up with an estimated net worth of $45 million.