
Sarah Jessica Parker addresses And Just Like That viewers backlash
The HBO and Sky revival of the thirty-something cult classic Sex and the City was never short of its detractors and the naysayers stayed strong in their dislike right up until the final episoden.
Titled Party of One, the finale centred around Thanksgiving, as Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) debated whether she was prepared to live a single life after her relationship with Aidan (John Corbett) had broken down earlier in the season three run.
She attended a dinner hosted by Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), who was trying to curry favour with her son's now-pregnant one night stand – and her group of Gen Z friends.
One of said friends ended up eating a platter of cheese, despite being lactose intolerant – as you do. She then did quite the number on Miranda's toilet. (Yes, really, this was the plot of the series finale).
What followed was an overflowing toilet and Miranda on her hands and knees donning rubber gloves, questioning how her life had got here, as one might do when having to clean up the results of a stranger's loose bowels.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Naturally, viewers who still hold the fabulous, Cosmo-filled Sex and the City dear were not too impressed with where the show ended up in its return, with some taking to social media to brand the And Just Like That swansong 'terrible'.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who also executive produced the series, has now addressed the haters and discussed why this was the moment to take the show off the air.
Speaking in a new interview with the New York Times, when asked about those who hate-watch the show, she said: 'I don't think I have the constitution to have spent a lot of time thinking about that. We always worked incredibly hard to tell stories that were interesting or real.'
Parker added: 'I guess I don't really care.'
'And the reason I don't care is because it has been so enormously successful, and the connections it has made with audiences have been very meaningful.' More Trending
As for the show ending, Parker said she 'absolutely' supported the creative decision to have Carrie solo at the close and on calling And Just Like That quits, she simply said this was where the story ended.
'We could have gone on doing coffee shops. There's a million ways to do it that are easy and familiar and fun, but feel exploitative to us,' Parker explained.
'We felt this was the honourable thing to do. It's very easy to stay. It's where we're all happy. But you have to be principled when you make these very difficult, agonizing decisions because there's a lot of people who are affected.'
View More »
And Just Like That is available on Sky and streaming service NOW.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Only one thing can save And Just Like That's final season
MORE: Sex and the City star reveals 'mortifying' moment older man was told to grab her behind
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Graziadaily
23 minutes ago
- Graziadaily
Tradwife Has Been Added To The Cambridge Dictionary - But What Does It Mean?
We live in an age where new words are creeping into our lexicon all the time, thanks to the internet and big shifts in popular culture. And there's no better way to see these shifts than what's been added to the Cambridge dictionary each year. For 2025, one of the new words is 'tradwife' (along with Gen Z's fave slang Skibidi and TikTok's delulu). But what does tradwife mean? And who are some popular examples? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a tradwife is a 'married woman, especially one who posts on social media, who stays at home doing cooking, cleaning, etc. and has children that she takes care of.' Shorthand for 'traditional wife', the term has been around since 2018, but has become more popular after a growing trend on Instagram and TikTok has shown more young women embrace traditional gender roles. Two of the most famous tradwifes on social media are Hannah Neeleman, aka Ballerina Farm, and Nara Smith. Both have amassed cult followings on social media, where they show videos of their daily life cooking, caring for the home, and raising children - all while looking impossibly glamorous and together while they do it. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar last year, Nara addressed her thoughts on being labelled a tradwife, saying she doesn't view herself in that way. 'That's one of the narratives that I have a really hard time wrapping my head around: the tradwife, whatever it is,' she said. 'You don't see me getting on a plane, hopping to New York, modelling, coming back – all while I have a newborn – paying bills, filming content, getting my kids dressed.' In a 2024 interview with The Sunday Times, we had a glimpse into glimpse Neeleman's day-to-day life as a mother of eight on the family's Utah farm. The interview garnered significant interest, because Neelman also spoke about how she didn't associate herself with the term. 'We are traditional in the sense that it's a man and a woman,' she said of her dynamic with her husband, Daniel. 'We have children, but I do feel like we're paving a lot of paths that haven't been paved before. So for me to have the label of a traditional woman,' adding 'I don't know if I identify with that.' The content is both incredibly popular on social media, and also controversial. Caro Claire Burke, a media critic who has been investigating the growth of Trad Wife influencers, previously told Grazia this is down to the way the working women who want children have been failed by society. 'In America [like the UK], our childcare situation is abysmal, there is no support for working families,' Burke says. 'Now there are so many women who are looking at these idealised versions of motherhood – or women to whom mothering isn't immediately associated with financial stress – and it's so addictive to watch because it's something we just can't get right.' She continued: 'These women are homemakers but they're also businesswomen profiting off this performance of homemaking. They're inordinately wealthy... enjoying their lives cooking these beautiful meals and spending time with their children, it's like the one major thing woman can't have – a successful career and be with your children.' Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.


Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
What skibidi really means: As Gen Alpha slang makes it into the dictionary, the ultimate guide to understanding your children's baffling vocabulary
If you've been left baffled by hearing young people in your life describing everything and anything as 'skibidi' you are not alone. According to a study by the Oxford University Press, 15 per cent of 1,200 children said 'skibidi' was their favourite word, with 'slay' following close behind, and this week the Gen Alpha slang became one of 6,000 new words added to the Cambridge Dictionary. To make things ultra confusing, skibidi has different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad' or can be used with no real meaning as a joke. The term was coined by the creator of a video series titled Skibidi Toilet on YouTube, featuring animated heads appearing out of lavatories in February 2023. The bizarre clips feature an army of singing toilets, all which have human-heads (Skibidi toilets), battling it out against a rival troop of camera-headed men (Cameramen). Its popularity was sealed when Kim Kardashian showed a necklace on Instagram given to her as a present engraved with the words 'skibidi toilet'. 'That's skibidi' can carry multiple meanings and could be used to express disgust, great admiration, disdain or even bewilderment among Gen Alpha - those born between 2010 and 2024. 'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,' Colin McIntosh, a lexicographer at Cambridge Dictionary, said. 'It's not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into it. We add words only where we think they'll have staying power.' But if you did not understand a word of that, or other nonsensical words - do not be alarmed. A handy guide to the chronically online is at hand so that dinner conversations with those half your age are no longer half-understood. Gen Alpha dictionary Alpha male Applied to a dominating man, often a bully, despite this being perceived as a positive trait in incel communities. Based on more primal hierarchies, this is inspired by qualities of the leader of the pack. They also believe that these characteristics are what women are biologically hardwired to desire. Alpha male discourse is often related to the manosphere and are typical followers of what Andrew Tate believes in. Aura This is used to describe stylishness and confidence but is also 'vibe based'. When used in sport or in entertainment, aura is displayed when they perform well or succeed. Aura farming You can gain 'aura points' when you do something impressive and then lose them when you are embarrassing. When you are 'aura farming' you are putting on a more cool persona to be seen as more impressive and therefore gain more 'aura points'. This is also widely used in gaming communities, with some of the most popular aura-farmers being Piccolo, Gon, and Sangwoo. With these connotations, it can be both an insult and a compliment to be called an 'aura farmer'. 'Auramaxxing' is also a spin-off from this term which looks at how to better improve your appearance but is related to the controversial 'looksmaxxing' Based It is said to mean someone who is authentically themselves, but the application of it is quote loose to refer to anything that is good, correct or impressive. Beg Someone trying to act too cool or sucking up to another. Bestie A colloquial phrase to call a friend. Beta male This is more traditionally considered an insult in the incel community as it is someone who is not assertive or masculine enough in their eyes. They are also often overlooked by women but will also be someone who believes in feminism and is therefore acting as a 'white knight'. Blackpill Those who have a nihilistic view of the world, often related to incels. If you are 'blackpilled' you believe there is nothing in the world that can improve yourself and are doomed to a life of rejection and unhappiness. Brainrot What we're all her for! It describes both the mindless and addictive content online as well as its effect on the user whose brain is rotting as a consequence. Brat girl summer Inspired from Charli XCX's album 'brat', this is all about having fun and letting loose, while also potentially having an emotional breakdown. Broligarchy This merges the words 'bro' and 'oligarchy' and defined as 'a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business'. Bussin A positive term for anything good, cool or delicious. Chad Another word to describe an alpha male. Cooked This has negative connotations, often suggesting something is done or dead in the water. 'We are cooked' or 'cooked in the chat' suggests there is nothing to be done, we are in trouble, or there is no hope in this situation. 'Let him cook' also means let the person think or allow him to keep going until he is done, although this can be used sarcastically if someone says something bad. However, 'we cooked them' will be used to say we beat them or insulted them. Cuck Used more generally as an offensive insult but originated from the word 'cuckold' which describes a man whose wife or girlfriend is unfaithful. Delulu A play on the word delusional, defined as 'believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to' in the Cambridge Dictionary. Fake news Taken from the very real phenomenon of fake news as well as President Donald Trump's declarations, it is now used in Gen Alpha sentences to say that something is a lie. Fanum tax When one friend steals food off another. The term was created when one streamer (x), Fanum, jokingly 'taxed' food from other content creators during streams. Femcel A woman who is frustrated at a lack of sexual relationships however does not have as extreme ideologies as its counterpart, incels, and is usually rejected from this community. Five big booms Saying the word boom five times consecutively with a flexed arm is used to express excitement or anticipation. First coined by the 'Costco Guys', the booms were used to reflect samples they would try, with the booms increasing or decreasing depending on the item. The meaning is quite loose as it can also be used to show as a sign of respect, appreciation, enjoyment or success. Fire/flames An adjective to describe something's greatness. Something that gives you excitement or enjoyment. Got drip Someone who looks really cool or has a stylish outfit. Gyatt Strong admiration, surprise or excitement usually in reaction to seeing a woman's shapely bottom. Originally related to 'godd**n' and typically said as 'oh my gyatt'. Incel Originally used to describe a man who was unsuccessful in dating women in online communities and is a contraction of the term being an 'involuntary celibate'. The blame was placed on women who were cruelly objectified, ridiculed and insulted as a result. It more broadly applies to someone who hates women or opposes feminism and has other violent and toxic connotations. They promote violent extremism and the ideology has been credited for several mass killings in the last decade, mostly in the US. It's giving Used as a verb to help describe a certain 'vibe', often followed by a noun. Looksmaxxing The practice of often times extreme measures used to change your appearance, typically aimed at young men and based on incel ideologies. 'Softmaxxing' is more superficial and can include clearing acne, going to the gym or having a certain haircut. Mewing is considered softmaxxing. 'Hardmaxxing' is considered more invasive changes like getting implants, surgically lengthening your limbs, getting jaw surgery or starving yourself, although there are many subgroups within this. Looksmaxxing has often been criticised for promoting body dysphoria. Low-T Used in a humorous way to describe a man who lacks traditional masculine qualities, like crying, being a vegetarian or being a feminist. Manosphere An online world consisting of blogs, websites and forums that promote typically toxicly masculine traits and a violent opposition to feminism. Incels will find much of their content here as well as many men's rights groups. Mewing Perhaps the most popular 'looksmaxxing' term, mewing refers to the practice of suctioning your tongue to the top of your mouth to 'enhance' their jawline. Mouse jiggler A device or software used to make it seem as though you are working when you are not, inspired after the shifting work-from-home culture after the pandemic. No cap Not a lie. Pookie A romantic term of endearment for your significant other but can also be used more broadly for close ones you are affectionate towards. The world was popularised by viral TikTok couple Campbell and Jett Puckett. Pop off To do really well at a task, can also mean to have a go at someone or fight with them. Queen A complimentary name that shows respect or affection. Redpilled A reference to The Matrix, if you are 'redpilled' who have become aware of the supposed truth of the world as revealed by the manosphere. If you have taken the 'blue pill' you are wilfully ignorant of the truth and the alleged world order. Rizz Believed to come from 'charisma' but is used to say you have success at flirting. Say less When you understand something completely. Can also indicate excitement. Serving When something looks really good or well put together, normally an outfit. Shook Shocked or surprised. Sigma Often used among young men, it can be used to a solitary, masculine man. Its an evolution of the phrase 'alpha male' credited to controversial far-right activist Theodore Robert Beale, and was inspired by the letter of the Greek alphabet to signify a lone wolf. It also has relations to the 'manosphere' and 'incel' culture and an example of a 'sigma' is Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Despite these new connotations, it is often used ironically in the phrase 'what the sigma' as a humorous expletive, making fun of the intense hustle culture of 'bros'. It can also still mean 'that's cool' after it was used in the parody song 'Sticking Out Your Gyatt for the Rizzler (Fanum Tax)'. While some people in the manosphere aspire to these qualities, it is often used aa a pejorative in reference to toxic masculinity in these contexts. Pictured: the necklace Kim Kardashian posted on social media. Colin McIntosh, a lexicographer at Cambridge Dictionary, said: 'Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary' Slay To do really well at something although used very broadly now to describe anything positive. Soy boy A pejorative among online and gaming communities to describe a man who lacks traditional masculine qualities. The relation to 'soy' is down to the presence of phytoestrogen isoflavone in soybeans which some online wrongly believe soy products in turn will feminise them, affect their testosterone or oestrogen levels or sperm quality. Streamer Someone who broadcasts live content online, typically a video game. They will then engage in real time with their viewers who can comment or chat. The goat An acronym for 'the greatest of all time', often used in football or sports. Tradwife A married woman who stays at home doing the cooking, cleaning and taking care of children but 'especially [a wife] who posts on social media' about these activities. Demure A phrase used in a viral TikTok - the typical full sentence goes 'I'm not like those other girls, I'm very demure, very mindful' - and is used to indicate that you have a calmer, drama-free approach to life. Understood the assignment Did a task really well. Zaddy A handsome, older man.


Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews: Paldem Punch, Drunk, Brain Damage
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Paldem ★★★★ Summerhall (Venue 26) until 25 August The actor and writer David Jonsson is a rising star of British theatre, film and television; and his play Paldem, at Summerhall, is a brave and complex one-hour drama about an interracial relationship cracking and straining under the pressures of a society still reluctant to confront the realities of racism, and now further confused and corrupted by the impact of online pornography and dating culture. Paldem | greyarea Megan and Kevin - powerfully played by Tash Cowley and Michael Workeye - are friends who once had a brief relationship. She is white, he is black; and when they accidentally record themselves in a boozy sex-with-the-ex session after attending a wedding together, Megan can't help noticing how good they look on camera, and how much potential those images might have on an internet hungry for interracial porn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In no time, the two build up a huge following on their chosen paid-for social network; we even get to meet one of the couples who come to their flat, all the way from France and Germany, to join them in one of their sessions. What's missing, though - in their edgy conversations, riddled with fashionable Gen Z street-speak - is any real acknowledgment of, or language for, the special quality of the bond between them. He speaks, once, of the strength of his feeling for her, his love for her body; she avoids the subject, and takes up with a wealthy white boyfriend she met at the fateful wedding party. The story, in other words, doesn't end well. And what it leaves behind is an aching sense of loss; as if, for a whole generation, the culture surrounding sex has become so loveless, so transactional, so bereft of magic and corrupted by the pornographic gaze, that it's almost impossible for them to treat their own bodies with any respect, never mind anyone else's, or to avoid reinforcing old patterns of exploitation, in a world without moral limits. And although Jonsson's bleak vision can't and doesn't tell the whole story of 21st century sex, it has enough force, in Zi Alikhan's powerful production, to haunt the mind, long after the play is over. Joyce McMillan Punch, Drunk, Brain Damage ★★★★ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Laughing Horse @ The Raging Bull (Venue 332) until 24 August In the basement of a New Town pub, at the Free Fringe, Yekwang Robert Jung's rattling storytelling mimics his early life, having left Korea at the age of four, growing up in England, Turkey and Germany. But this show isn't about that; it's about what happens when, aged 23 and back in Korea, he's speeding down a freeway on his motorbike and wakes up in hospital before finding out in the most unideal circumstances that he has a rare, almost-certainly terminal brain tumour with only a 5% chance of survival if he has a nine-hour operation. Through an open and observational narration, he immerses us in the alien world of a Korean medical institution, where the only bed available costs £500 a night and the second-best doctor in the country is also not exactly known for his bedside manner. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now 36, Robert looks back sagely on the horrors of that time and calmly conveys the significant effects it's had on his mental health, eloquently describing his struggles with alcohol and his increasingly unregulated emotions, which leave scars on his mental health that far outlast the fifty stitches in his head. From being high on morphine, floating outside of his body, to turning back to his former life of partying, to creating this idiosyncratic show, he captures not only the psychedelic strangeness of his experience but also, what's talked about less, the psychological effects of going through such a huge operation and facing his mortality. Based an autobiography that he's writing, it deliberately breaks down the boundaries between show and chat and, tonight, for the first time, includes a rap. It's the format of a work-in-process but turned into something more theatrical. Finally, at the end he focuses on what he wants to do, rather than what happened to him in the past: be an actor. And so here he is now. It's as simple and as complicated as that. Sally Stott Big Little Sister ★★★ ZOO Playground (Venue 186) until 24 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Big Little Sister examines Holly Gifford's relationship with her older brother, Patrick, who has severe learning disabilities. Using the concept of the Glass Child (a child whose needs and emotions are overlooked due to an overwhelming focus on a sibling experiencing challenges such as chronic illness or disability), the narrative is refracted through the prism of Gifford's memories, showing her unique perspective. Guided by the voice of Patrick's communication aid, Gifford moves from 1999 to the present day. Visual aids and animations are used throughout, creating a narrative that is layered, textured, and affecting. She provides insight into the state of the current social care sector in the UK – particularly, its embedded biases and stereotypes – and dramatizes encounters with social workers and strangers that are informed by her family's experience. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Patrick's aid poses a randomised Q&A to Gifford, asking her to consider her future role in the life of her brother, and crucially, how this aligns or diverges from what she wants for herself. It is a powerful moment that could perhaps be used as a frame to hold, witness, and honour the varying narrative and technical strands that occur in this play, which at present risk overwhelming one another. Josephine Balfour-Oatts 16 Summers ★★★ theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) until 22 August When actor and writer Ayindé Howell was young, his late father wanted to teach him lessons about vision, faith and patience. Yet all the young lad wanted to do over the summer of 1992, the era of Rodney King and crack cocaine in Los Angeles, was masturbate as much as he could, something his dad called 'messin' around with the black dot'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Howell (who goes by just Ayindé professionally) never did figure out what that meant. This is the first of Ayindé's many very frank and amusing vignettes about growing up and discovering his own masculinity, particularly as a black man, which coalesce and callback together into a thoughtful and very relevant new solo play. When he eventually moved to New York in 2007 to fulfil his dreams of becoming the new Pharrell Williams, he says he was 'manifesting like a motherfucker', but an encounter with a famous, unnamed film director who wouldn't employ him put paid to that. Acting gigs have followed, but this work is more of a collision of spoken word, beat poetry and rap than straight narrative performance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Through powerful pieces about the Iraq War, the deployment of the 'N' word and his own loss and grief, however, Ayindé's warmth and honesty shepherds a compelling thread together about what it means to be a man. David Pollock Growing Pains ★★ Paradise in the Vault (Venue 29) until 24 August There's certainly hints of promise in this comedy-drama by Fionnuala Donnelly, but it's buried in a baggy structure and an unnecessarily long running time of nearly 90 minutes. Tessa (Donnelly) is a failed playwright now teaching a GCSE drama class, who supports her useless boyfriend — another aspiring writer. Donnelly is fine — though given to throwing away some serviceable jokes by rattling through her dialogue. She would be better advised to trim her own script as — while the classroom scenes are well-handled and her pupils are engaging — most of the domestic moments with her partner could be profitably excised. Rory Ford A Gerry Christmas Carroll ★★ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Just the Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288) until 24 August It really does come earlier every year. Don't be misled by the pun in the title, this is a straightforward retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol by venerable Fringe veteran Gerry Carroll. Undoubtedly, Carroll's name suggested the show but there's evident affection here for the tale and — apart from a couple of gentle asides — there's nothing added to the story. Although hardly a particularly compelling storyteller, Carroll seems a personable — if eccentric — sort and while this is unlikely to fill you with the Christmas spirit in August it does at least demonstrate an admirable simplicity. Rory Ford