It’s been more than a decade since the end of SATC, but the Sex and the City cast salary continues to hot topic of discussion.

Sex and the City premiered on HBO on June 6, 1998. The series, based on Candace Bushnell’s 1997 book of the same name, followed four women in New York City—Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Kim Cattrall (Samantha Jones), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Mirande Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon)—as they dated, worked, and, yes, had sex. (Lots of it.)

The series went on for six seasons before its finale in February 2004. However, the Sex and the City journey didn’t end there. Four years after its finale, the four women returned for Sex and the City the movie in 2008. The film was followed by a sequel, Sex and the City 2, in 2010.

In December 2020, The New York Post reported that a Sex and the City reboot and limited series is in the works for HBO Max with all of the women returning except for Cattrall. Why? Well, Cattrall has had a years-long feud with Parker, which was one of the reasons why that filming for a third Sex and the City movie was cancelled in 2017. Cattrall went on to confirm that she chose not to star in Sex and the City 3 due to her decision to retire her performance as Samantha, which effectively cancelled production for the third movie. “Me playing her, that I can assure you will never happen. For me it’s over, it’s over with no regrets,” Cattrall told CNN at the time.

But could the unequal pay between Sex and the City‘s four main cast members be another reason for her exit from the franchise? Read on for what we know about the Sex and the City cast salary.

Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw)

Salary: $3.2 million per episode

Net worth: $150 million

It’s unclear what SJP’s salary was at the start of Sex and the City, but according to Celebrity Net Worth, she made $3.2 million per episode for the last three seasons after she became an executive producer. So how much would she make per year from SATC dough? Well, season 6 has 20 episodes. At $3.2 million for each episode (which accounts for her salary as a producer and the lead), SJP made $64 million that year, which explains why she’s worth $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Along with a producer credit in the show’s fourth season, SJP also received a salary raise as one of the show’s stars. SJP’s salary was still in the millions for the Sex and the City movies as well. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she made $15 million for the first movie in 2008 and $20 million for the second movie in 2012. She was a producer on both films.

Kim Cattrall (Samantha Jones)

Salary: $350,000 per episode

Net worth: $60 million

Cattrall’s role as Samantha Jones was by far one of the breakouts from Sex and the City. She even won a Golden Globe for the character in 2003. As for her salary, Cattrall was paid nowhere near what SJP made. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she made $350,00 per episode toward the show’s end, which would’ve equated to $7 million for season 6 (compared to SJP’s $64 million.) Celebrity Net Worth, which claims that Cattrall’s net worth is $60 million, also reports that the actress was paid $7 million for the first SATC movie and $10 million for the second. Both salaries were less than SJP, which makes sense given that Parker was a producer on the films. In an episode on the podcast “Origins” in 2018, SATC executive producer Michael Patrick King claimed that Cattrall wanted to be paid the same as SJP. “The show doesn’t exist if Sarah Jessica wasn’t the blonde star of the show, that’s number one,”  he said. “Kim was not at the height of her career, Kristin was under her in terms of notability, Cynthia was a theater actress and their contracts reflected that status.”

He continued, “I guess for Kim it didn’t matter how much the raise became if there was never parity, but there was never going to be parity.”

The New York Post also reported in 2017 that crew on SATC believed that Cattrall should’ve been paid more given that Samantha was one of the fandom’s favorite characters. “There was a disparity between what Sarah got and what the other girls got. Everyone loved Kim’s character, people related to her—and [Kim’s] salary wasn’t showing that,” a source told the newspaper. Variety also reported in 2017 that Cattrall initially didn’t sign on for the first Sex and the City film but did so after she received a raise. According to Bustle, Cattrall also wanted to receive $1 million per episode of Sex and the City filmed a seventh season, which it never did.

Kristin Davis (Charlotte York)

Salary: $350,000

Net worth: $35 million

Davis was paid the same at Cattrall for season 5 and season 6 of Sex and the City, which was $350,000 per episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, the site reports that Davis was paid less than both Cattrall and Parker for the Sex and the City films, which tracks given the articles about how Cattrall asked for a raise for the films. Per Celebrity Net Worth, Davis earned $3 million for the first Sex and the City movie and $4 million for the second film. (In comparison, Cattrall was paid $7 million for the first film and SJP was paid $15 million.) Celebrity Net Worth reports that Davis is worth $35 million.

Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes)

Salary: ~$350,000 per episode

Net worth: $25 million

It’s unconfirmed what Nixon made on Sex and the City the series, but it’s likely that she received the same salaries as Cattrall and Davis for the final two seasons: $350,000 per episode. For the final season, Nixon also won the Emmy for the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her role as Miranda. As for the SATC films, Celebrity Net Worth reports that Nixon made $3 million for the first film, the same salary as Davis. It’s unclear what she made for the second movie, but it’s likely that her salary was also the same as Davis: $4 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Nixon is worth $25 million.

Sex and the City is available to stream on HBO Max.

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