'And Just Like That' Premiere Episode Addresses Kim Cattrall's Absence As Samantha Jones

The fate of Kim Cattrall's "Sex and the City" character Samantha Jones was revealed in the first episode of the new reboot, "And Just Like That."

HBO Max dropped the highly-anticipated revival series Thursday, and the first episode immediately addressed Samantha's absence. Apparently, there is a shift in the story and it portrays some truths about friendships in real life — that friends could fall apart.

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Samantha had a falling out after the former decided to let her friend go as her publicist. Samantha didn't take it well and relocated to London, cutting ties not just with Carrie but also Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).

"I told her that because of what the book business is now, it just didn't make sense for me to keep her on as a publicist," Carrie said during a conversation with Miranda, as quoted by E! News. "She said fine, and then fired me as a friend."

According to Carrie, Samantha stopped returning her calls. Miranda then stuck up for Samantha, saying that her "pride got damaged."

Carrie then explained that she understood why Samantha wouldn't be happy and had repeatedly tried to contact her friend, to no avail.

"Look, I understand that she was upset, but I thought I was more to her than an ATM," Carrie said, adding, "I always thought the four of us would be friends forever."

Meanwhile, Davis was previously asked about the new title and how they handled Cattrall's absence during a red carpet interview at the New York City premiere of "And Just Like That."

Explaining the title, the actress told Entertainment Tonight they wanted to show that this was "the next chapter" in the lives of the characters and that this was "a different show that speaks to now."

As for Samantha's absence, Davis said she was "very pleased with how we handled it," adding, "I think [executive producer and director] Michael Patrick [King] cares deeply about handling it with respect and we have, and I feel like it's very real."

Cattrall played Samantha on "Sex and the City" from 1998 until 2004 as well as in the two subsequent spinoff movies. But she has since made it clear that she had no interest in revisiting the franchise.

She claimed during a 2017 interview with Piers Morgan that her relationship with her co-stars was "toxic" and that they had "never been friends."

Cattrall also explained her reasoning for not wanting to reprise the role during an appearance on the "Women's Prize for Fiction" podcast last year.

"I'm lucky enough to have choice, not that I haven't worked for it, but I have it," the actress said. "It's something I feel very lucky to have and I'm very protective of it. I wouldn't be any good doing something that I really didn't want to do."