Where was Aidan? And Just Like That brought back many iconic and beloved Sex and the City characters, but Carrie’s ex-boyfriend Aidan Shaw was notably absent.
John Corbett, who played Aidan throughout the OG series and in the second feature film, previously teased his involvement in the revival.
“I’m going to do the show,” the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before star, 60, teased to Page Six in April 2021, noting he was “very” excited to return for the revival. “I think I might be in quite a few [episodes]. I like all those people, they’ve been very nice to me.”
The HBO Max writers, meanwhile, denied he was ever supposed to appear.
“John Corbett should be writing personal apology notes. We didn’t say anything,” writer Julie Rottenberg told Deadline in an interview published on Thursday, February 3.
Showrunner Michael Patrick King also denied the casting speculation.
“No, there’s nothing old news about Sarah Jessica Parker and John Corbett as actors and beings and interests,” King, 67, told the outlet. “The fact of the matter is, we never said anything about Aidan, just like we never said, Steve [Brady, played by David Eigenberg] and Carrie [Parker] are getting together.”
He continued: “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.”
Due to Corbett’s previous comments about his alleged involvement, devoted fans were excited to see where Aidan was at now — and fervently missed his absence.
“I think I speak for many of us when I say, where the hell is Aiden,” one fan tweeted last month. Another wrote, “Istfg, if @AndJustLikeThat is holding my boy, John Corbett (#aidanshaw) hostage only to reveal him as a f—king cliffhanger for a potential season 2, I WILL THROW down. I’ve endured seeing Che say they ‘have done a ton of weed’ and still no Aiden. c’mon man.”
While devoted Carrie and Aidan fans were longing to see the former flames reunite — especially after their kiss in Sex and the City 2 — others wanted to see Carrie move on with someone new after the death of her husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth).
“I know John Corbett said he was coming back to #AJLT for several episodes as Aiden,” a social media user tweeted in January 2022. “I think I’ll be done for good if they bring him back for a third attempt at a love angle. I get the nostalgia factor, but there’s literally millions of men in nyc. Let Carrie date someone new.”
While AJLT has not officially been renewed for a second season, the writers have begun crafting future story lines.
“We’re having conversations right now between us about the storylines with the actors and with the network,” King told Deadline. “I mean, it’s a very alive franchise—let’s just say that. … We love how invested people are in the show, it’s almost interactive in a great way. Everyone who makes television or movies or writes books worked so hard on trying to get an audience to engage in this journey that they’re writing. So all the speculation makes me happy.”
