Carrie Bradshaw’s relationship history in ‘Sex and the City’: Mr. Big, Aidan, more

It’s raining men. 

Over the course of “Sex and the City” and its spinoff show, “And Just Like That,” Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic fashionista sex columnist, Carrie Bradshaw, had countless dates and flings. 

Some of the men in her life made an impact, and others were lessons to learn from. 

Her story began when the show premiered on HBO in 1998, following Carrie and her friends Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) as they took New York City by storm. 

The show ended in 2004, but they returned for movies in 2008 and 2010, and then returned again (sans Cattrall) for the spinoff show “And Just Like That,” which premiered in 2021. 

Now that Carrie’s story is finally over – as Sarah Jessica Parker abruptly announced that “And Just Like That” will end when Season 3 concludes on Aug. 14 – here’s a look back at some of the key men.

Ben 

Played by Ian Kahn, Ben was a sweet magazine editor with a Tweety bird tattoo. He was in Season 2 of “SATC,” and they met in a classic New York way, sitting by a fountain in Central Park.

Unfortunately, Carrie self-sabotaged their relationship. 

When Carrie set up his friend on a double date with Miranda, and his friend wasn’t so impressive, she went through Ben’s things out of concern that he wasn’t as decent as he seemed.

Ben caught Carrie snooping, putting the kibosh on their romance. 

Vaughn Wysel 

Played by Justin Theroux, Vaughn was a fellow writer who Carrie met at a PEN America luncheon. (Oddly, Theroux also appeared in “SATC” Season 1 as a different character: an author who bragged about his book’s good reviews). 

In Season 2, when Vaughn took her home to meet his family, Carrie told her friends, “The thing I like best about him is his family. They’ve got charisma!”

In bed, however, he turned out to have an issue with premature ejaculation, which prematurely ended their relationship. 

Jeremy

Played by “The X-Files” star David Duchovny, Jeremy was Carrie’s high school boyfriend, who she rekindled her romance with in “Sex and the City” Season 6. 

Jeremy once described their relationship as: “We were in a lip lock for most of 1982.”

Carrie broke up with him the first time around because she said, “I thought, come on, there must be better guys out there — turns out, there aren’t!”

They reconnected as adults after his divorce from another woman. A gleeful Charlotte told Carrie, “You’re marrying him!”

But, Jeremy didn’t last, as it turned out that he was living in a psychiatric facility. 

Bill Kelly

Played by “Mad Men” star John Slattery, this Season 3 love interest was a politician running for city comptroller.

However, that ultimately became their downfall, as his team didn’t think it wise for him to see a sex columnist close to election season. They may have had a point.

It didn’t help that he also had some far-out sexual kinks, which Carrie wasn’t into. 

Jack Berger

Played by “Office Space” star Ron Livingston, Jack was a fellow writer who Carrie dated in Season 6.

That ultimately became their downfall, as his writing career stalled while Carrie flourished. 

He was unable to handle this, and so he memorably broke up with her via Post-it note. The note said, “I’m sorry, I can’t. Don’t hate me.”

Aleksandr Petrovsky

Played by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carrie’s friends called this Season 6 boyfriend “The Russian.” He was an artist in his 50s who dated Carrie when she was in her 30s. 

She described him as “worldly and wise and very sexy.”  

Carrie moved to Paris with him, but their relationship stalled there, as he ignored her for his work.

 “I had a life in New York, I had a job and friends and I didn’t give all of that up to come here and wander the streets of Paris alone,” an angry Carrie told him.

To make matters worse, he slapped her during an argument. Things ended after that. 

Aidan Shaw

Played by John Corbett, Aidan was Carrie’s other big, memorable love (in addition to Big). Although Aidan was a good partner, Carrie violated his trust by having an affair with Big behind his back during “Sex and the City” Season 3. 

Aidan also wanted a slower-paced life, while Carrie loved the city, so they had a fundamental disconnect. 

They rekindled their relationship in “SATC” Season 4, but Carrie still had cold feet when he proposed. 

 “If you don’t want to marry me right now, you’ll never want to marry me,” he told her.

Following their split, he married another woman and had kids with her. 

But, Aidan still turned up in Carrie’s life as they shared a steamy smooch in the second “Sex and the City” movie in 2010 – so this time, Carrie is was cheating on Big with Aidan. 

In “And Just Like That,” Aidan was divorced, and Carrie was a widow. 

They rekindled their relationship once again, but Aidan was still living in Virginia and wanted to keep raising his kids outside of the city. 

A frustrated Carrie told him,  “I moved mountains and apartments” to make their relationship work, referring to how she moved away from her iconic apartment. 

But, Aidan still had trust issues from the time Carrie cheated on him with Big. So, they split again in Season 3 of “And Just Like That.” 

Mr. Big 

Played by Chris Noth, he was the love of Carrie’s life. 

Their on-again, off-again relationship lasted through the entire series, as he and Carrie had their “meet cute” in the “SATC” pilot. 

He was a stranger she literally ran into on the street. 

“Big” stood for “major tycoon, major dreamboat, and majorly out of [Carrie’s] league,” as Carrie’s friends said. 

It was a running gag that his real name – John James Preston – was not revealed until the series finale after six seasons.

Their relationship had many ups and downs and “off” periods, since he feared commitment and kept Carrie at arm’s length. 

He always seemed to show up when Carrie was trying to move on from him. 

In Season 3, when he was married to another woman (Natasha, played by Bridget Moynahan) and Carrie was dating Aidan, Big and Carrie had an affair.

They finally got their act together and tied the knot in 2008’s “Sex and the City: The Movie.” 

They were married for over a decade, until the controversial series premiere of “And Just Like That,” when he died after suffering a heart attack following a Peloton class. 

Fans slammed “And Just Like That” for that plot point. 

One fan wrote on X, “Me trying to process that Big died in the first ep of ‘Sex and the City’ reboot. Can Carrie never be happy or?? We literally went through 6 seasons and 2 films of pain, drama & happy endings now this?! I’mma pretend this show never existed for my own happiness.”

Another fan said, “AND JUST LIKE THAT…. They ruined ‘Sex and the City’….Thanks for destroying Big and Carrie!”

Big’s death also prompted Peloton’s stock to drop as it scrambled to recover, as sexual assault allegations emerged against Noth just days after the Season 1 premiere of “And Just Like That.” 

Duncan Reeves  

Played by Jonathan Cake, Duncan is Carrie’s downstairs neighbor in Season 3 of “And Just Like That.” He’s a British biographer who splits his time between London and New York City. Initially, he and Carrie butt heads, as he objects to the sounds of her heels on the floor, and she protests about a “woman’s right to shoes.” 

She even texted Samantha (Kim Cattrall) about him. Naturally, when Carrie tells Samantha via text message that he’s “living under me,” Samantha quips, “I wish he was under me.” Samantha also assures Carrie, “They say he’s a lot of fun.”

Eventually, Duncan and Carrie connect over their writing and find mutual respect there, before spending a steamy night together.

Unfortunately, Duncan didn’t stick around in The Big Apple, so he wasn’t a lasting man in Carrie’s life.

“And Just Like That,” Carrie’s love life ends after almost 30 years with the HBO series finale, available to stream at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14.