The world of Sex and the City transformed into a bit of a horror show when And Just Like That… debuted in 2021. Granted, the “Death By Peloton” episode got that vibe started, and Che Diaz grabbed that torch, although to be fair, Che ended up being one of the most watchable parts of the second season. Rather than simply being an intentionally abrasive presence, Sara Ramirez’s character grew some shades. They did things other than serve as Miranda’s motivation to let Steve Brady fly on his own (where, let’s be honest, he will probably be much happier without her), and Che loves animals, which made me dig Che. A little bit More than that, actually.
However, it looks And Just Like That… might have a Che Diaz-shaped hole when it returns for the third season. Speculation went into overdrive this week (especially after Melissa Barrera’s recent dismissal from Scream) after Ramirez (who has regularly been posting support for Palestine and calling for a ceasefire) began vague-Instagramming in a way that made people wonder: “Our industry is so duplicitous. While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.”
Another added wrinkle: Cynthia Nixon, who portrays Miranda Hobbes, has also voiced support for Palestine and participated in a hunger strike for the cause, and there haven’t been any rumors that Nixon has been let go. Well, The Daily Mail claims to have spoken to a source who knows that Ramirez was “fired,” allegedly over nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
‘Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the cease fire,’ they told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Sara was fired because Che brought nothing to the show anymore. They were on the chopping block since last season.
‘After Che split with Miranda, the character really held no value anymore and fans found them annoying. The storyline as a struggling comedian was a waste of airtime and Sara knew it.’
The source added, “Sara needs to accept that this is not Grey’s Anatomy, and her character was not a pivotal part of the storyline.” Now, is this true or not The And Just Like That… writers gave Che a new romance in the second season finale, and there was no inkling that the character was going to leave the show. Instead, Che kind-of seemed like another Miranda casualty (i.e., like Steve) who would go on to do their own thing in separate arcs, but maybe not
Neither Ramirez nor HBO/Max has delivered any confirmation on the subject, so we might be waiting until the third season to find out.