And just like that, Aiden Shaw (John Corbett) never made an appearance on And Just Like That, even though he claimed he would be popping up.
In an interview from April 2021, the actor said, “I’m going to do the show,” adding that it was “very exciting” to be reprising his role of Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) ex-boyfriend.
“I think I might be in quite a few [episodes],” he shared. “I like all those people, they’ve been very nice to me.”
During the season finale of And Just Like That, which aired on Thursday, February 3, fans were less than pleased to learn that Aiden wasn’t in the series after all. So, what gives?
Apparently, HBO never confirmed his involvement.
“John Corbett should be writing personal apology notes. We didn’t say anything,” And Just Like That writer Julie Rottenberg told Deadline in a new interview.
Fans last saw Aiden kissing Carrie in Sex and the City 2, so will he show up at some point down the line? “No, there’s nothing old news about Sarah Jessica Parker and John Corbett as actors and beings and interests,” showrunner Michael Patrick King stated.
“The fact of the matter is, we never said anything about Aidan, just like we never said, Steve and Carrie are getting together,” King added. “We always try to be very restrained and look at the reality of what people are experiencing and it has nothing to do with Aidan coming or not coming. It really just felt like this was a lot for Carrie. This season was a lot. We wanted to get her through this and into the light — the last episode is called, ‘Seeing the Light.’ We wanted to get her out. [Aidan’s return] is a big storyline that everybody at home wrote that we had never intended.”
At the end of the season 1 finale, Carrie finds herself kissing Franklyn (Ivan Hernandez), who is a new podcast producer, so it’s unclear if Aiden would fit into her story at this point in her life.
The HBO Max hit series hasn’t been renewed just yet, but it seems like it’s a possibility!
“We’re having conversations right now between us about the storylines with the actors and with the network,” King dished. “I mean, it’s a very alive franchise — let’s just say that.”
