And Just Like What? Sarah Jessica Parker Had No Idea Che Was So Unpopular

Viewers of the "Sex and the City" sequel series "And Just Like That..." were sharply critical of queer character Che Diaz, played in the show's first two seasons by openly bisexual and nonbinary actor Sara Ramírez – but series star Sarah Jessica Parker had no idea the character was so unpopular, People Magazine reported.

"A friend of mine brought it up to me, and it's like: 'What are you talking about?'" Parker, 60, said in a recent interview with UK newspaper the Guardian. "And he said: 'Yeah, there's all this conversation.'"

The "conversation" centered in part around how "And Just Like That..." cast original character Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) as suddenly realizing she might be lesbian – a twist that seems like a retcon, given that in an early episode of "Sex and the City" Miranda briefly pretended to have a lesbian partner in order to make an impression at her law firm. After sampling a kiss with a female co-worker, however, Miranda concluded that she was thoroughly heterosexual.

The sequel series' exploration of Miranda's midlife queer awakening reflects Nixon's own coming out, years after the original series ended. As Nixon reflected in an interview last year, "I've grown much more like [Miranda] as I've grown older, and she's grown much more like me," going on to add that "smart writers, particularly on long-term projects that keep going and evolving, try [to] put as much of the real person in that character as they can, because that's one of the things that makes television or film or theater so powerful – when the person playing the role has a personal connection."

Nixon also opined that Miranda was always a lesbian, albeit ignorant of it. "Even though she was only really interested in men, I think that Miranda had many other queer and, frankly, lesbianic qualities about her," Nixon said in a 2022 interview with Variety. "And I think for a lot of gay women, she – we didn't have a gay woman! But she was a stand-in for the gay women we didn't have."

Still, the character's sexual evolution seemingly came out of the blue. It also exploded Miranda's marriage to fan favorite character Steve (David Eigenberg).

Aside from how Miranda's sexual awakening was handled, fans also seemed to truly hate the character of Che – something Parker was oblivious to.

"I've been an actor for 50 years," Parker explained to the Guardian, "and I've almost never paid attention to peripheral chatter."

The actor went on to add that she isn't much for social media, where much of the anti-Che discourse took place.

"I'm not on TikTok myself – I don't say that pridefully, I'm just overwhelmed by the idea of it," Parker told the Guardian.

"Che's critics largely claimed that the character felt like a caricature of queer stereotypes, their social justice persona was annoying, and in the end, they just weren't that funny" despite the character putatively pursuing a career in standup, The AV Club related.

"At one point," The AV Club added, "the 'peripheral chatter' got so bad that Ramirez had to remind everyone that they are not, in fact, Che in real life."

The character was written out in Season 2 of "AJLT," but not before having Miranda relocate in order to start a new life with Che – a situation that quickly deteriorated. Later in the season, Che mined the failed relationship for comedic material, making hurtful comments about Miranda onstage at a comedy club while Miranda sat in the audience.

Producers explained that the character of Che had run their course, but Ramírez seemed to claim that they were being let go for their opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza following the events of Oct. 7, 2023.

In a Jan. 16, 2024 Instagram post, Ramírez called Hollywood "duplicitous" and wrote, "While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again."

In the post, which went up the day following the 2024 Emmy Awards, Ramirez went on to add: "While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go."

While she might not have realized just how unpopular Che Diaz was, Parker enjoyed the experience of working with Ramírez.

"I loved working with them," Parker declared.

"And Just Like That..." recently premiered its third season.