HBO Max reportedly has opted to pull Chris Noth from the finale of “And Just Like That” following several sexual assault accusations against the “Sex and the City” star.
Sources said the 67-year-old actor was originally set to make a cameo appearance in the finale of the popular series reboot, but his scene was deemed “not integral” and was cut, TV Line reported in a piece published Wednesday.
The scene change reportedly had to do with Carrie Bradshaw’s character (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) saying goodbye to Noth’s character (Mr. Big) after the love of her life suffered a fatal heart attack, the report noted.
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Insiders said there was a flashback fantasy part during this scene that will no longer air, in which Noth’s character appeared to Bradshaw. It was cut after sexual assault accusations came out against him.
“And Just Like That…’s creative team ultimately decided that the minimal footage Noth had shot with Parker on location in Paris was not integral to the scene,” sources shared with the outlet. “The finale was not locked at the time that the allegations against Noth were made public.” (REPORT: Bill Cosby Will Plead The Fifth In Alleged Playboy Mansion Assault Case, Attorney Says)
The Hollywood Reporter reported Dec. 16 that two different women at separate times throughout the last year came to them and accused Noth of sexual assault. (RELATED: Former ‘Good Morning America’ Producer Accused Of Sexual Assault)
One woman, referred to as “Zoe” in the article, contacted the outlet in October. Zoe claimed that Noth sexually assaulted her in 2004 when she was 22 and living in Los Angeles, the outlet reported.
Zoe told them that she had kept the alleged assault buried for years, but “seeing that he was reprising his role in Sex and the City set off something” in her and she decided it was time “to try to go public with who he is,” THR noted.
A second woman, referred to as “Lily,” reached out to THR months earlier and alleged she was assaulted by the actor in 2015 in New York, the outlet added.
Noth has called the allegations “categorically false” and denied any wrongdoing, calling the encounters “consensual.”
Since the accusations surfaced, Noth has been dropped from the CBS show “The Equalizer,” THR reported.
Fellow “Sex and the City” co-stars also released a statement they supported the women, THR noted.
“We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences,” Parker said in a statement signed by herself and co-stars Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte). “We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”