In a candid chat with Alex Cooper on the June 18 episode of Call Her Daddy, Sarah Jessica Parker addressed years of criticism aimed at her iconic character Carrie Bradshaw. She explained that Carrie’s imperfections weren’t accidents—they were the heart of the show.
Parker admitted that “Carrie is frustrating, selfish, makes poor decisions, and doesn’t manage her money,” but she believes those traits made her more realistic. She added, “There wouldn’t be a show if she was consistently a stellar human being.”
Parker Points Out Gender Bias in Audience Reactions
Parker then highlighted a double standard in how viewers judge group on screen. She observed that “we forgive our male leads” for serious crimes, while female characters face harsher scrutiny for smaller flaws.
As an example, she said, “My favourite show in that period was The Sopranos, and I love Tony Soprano – but he was a deeply flawed man.” Yet, according to her, Carrie’s affair drew more criticism than Tony’s violent crimes.
She noted that calling Carrie selfish often ignores the full picture: “It was very curious to me when they would say she’s selfish, and I can give you ten reasons and ways in which she wasn’t.”
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Carrie’s Complexity Was a Creative Choice
Parker explained that Carrie’s contradictions were deliberate. Showrunner Michael Patrick King designed her to be complex and human.
She described Carrie as “an extraordinarily decent and good person — an extremely devoted friend” who is “generous of spirit and time.” According to Parker, those qualities often go unnoticed because of the spotlight on Carrie’s flaws.
Parker Embraces the Criticism
Despite the harsh commentary, Parker said she welcomes strong reactions from fans. She believes they show emotional investment.
“But I ultimately think that all those feelings are pretty fantastic,” she explained, adding that “people are kind of captive in those moments to something, and I think that’s perfectly fine.”
Women Are Judged More Harshly
Overall, Parker reflected on how society often holds women to higher standards than men. “It’s just interesting,” she said, “the ways in which we judge women, and not men.”
