Production on the third season of “And Just Like That” has begun, and Sara Ramírez, who played divisive nonbinary comedian Che Díaz in the first two seasons of the “Sex and the City” reboot, is not involved.
But, in a plot twist that's sure to get fans of the Max series talking, Rosie O'Donnell will be joining the cast in season 3.
On Wednesday, star and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker shared an Instagram post of the season 3 table read with the caption: “Here. Us. Go.” He tagged several cast members, including Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Nicole Ari Parker and Sarita Choudhury, but not Ramirez, who was reportedly fired from the series after season 2. Karen Pittman, who will not reprise her role from Professor Nya Wallace in season 3 due to scheduling conflicts, he was also not tagged.
On Instagram, O'Donnell also shared an image of the table read, showing a card with her character's name (“Mary”). A spokesperson for Max confirmed that O'Donnell will star in season 3 but did not offer additional details.
Max also declined to comment on Ramirez's status on “And Just Like That,” but Parker's post seemed to confirm a cast change that had been rumored for months.
Speculation about Ramírez's status began in January. In a series of posts on Instagram, the actor hinted that they were no longer part of the production and implied that his support for Palestine influenced his departure from the show.
The actor has been among those in Hollywood who have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, posting regularly about the casualties suffered during the war between Israel and Hamas, which is approaching its seventh month, and in support of recent protests held at universities in the whole country. . But it was unclear whether the posts were related to Ramirez's departure from the show. Cynthia Nixon, who stars in “And Just Like That” alongside Ramirez, has also expressed her support for a ceasefire, and has even joined a hunger strike.
“While handing out awards, casting directors and agents blacklist actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians and Gaza to ensure they will not work again,” Ramírez wrote in a post in January , the day after the Emmys. , where Black and Asian American artists were honored in record numbers and many winners shared political messages, though not about Gaza. “It's amazing how performative so many are in Hollywood. “Even more performative than the last character I played,” they said, in what was widely interpreted as a reference to Che Díaz.
Sara Ramírez as Che Díaz in “And just like that” by Max.
(Craig Blankenhorn)
In February, Variety reported that Ramirez would be leaving the series, citing anonymous sources. Max declined to comment at the time.
In addition to Parker's post, her co-star Choudhury spoke to Radio Times about season 3 of “And Just Like That” and seemed to confirm Ramirez's departure. “I know they're doing other things now, so I'm happy for them,” she said of his outgoing co-star.
“And Just Like That” stars Parker, Davis and Nixon, who reprise their iconic roles from HBO’s “Sex and the City,” which ran for six seasons and spawned two feature films. The reboot of the series added several cast members, including Choudhury, Parker and Ramirez, whose character had a romance with Nixon's Miranda Hobbes in the first season and hosted a podcast with Parker's Carrie Bradshaw.
Ramírez, like Che, is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. While Che has been a huge hit on the series, inspiring an avalanche of memes and think pieces, viewers and critics alike have mocked the character as irritating and self-absorbed and argued that Che was part of an attempted clumsy and retarded in bringing diversity to the world. white, heterosexual world of “Sex and the City.”
“It's interesting how many conversations this character has generated,” Ramírez told the Times last year. “I think it's great that people have critiques, that they have thoughts about writing. I encourage people to talk to writers about that. “That's who they should convey this to.”
Despite the backlash against Che, the character remained central in season 2, even after his breakup with Miranda and the end of his professional collaboration with Carrie. “We wanted people to see who the rest Che is. I felt like everyone judged a book by its cover. So we wanted to open the book and show new sides of Che,” showrunner Michael Patrick King told The Times.
Season 2 of the series premiered in June 2023, and HBO announced in December that a third season would not premiere until 2025, due in part to the dual strikes that gripped Hollywood last summer and delayed numerous productions.
