As Chris Noth faces the continuing fallout from sexual assault allegations leveled at him by multiple women, one of his co-stars is not rushing to judgment.
Last week, three women stepped forward in separate interviews with The Hollywood Reporter and The Daily Beast to allege that the actor sexually assaulted them, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones accused him of "sexually inappropriate" behavior.
And while his Sex and the City co-stars—Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis—have spoken out on the allegations, Bridget Moynahan, who played his ex-wife on the show, has thus far refused to comment.
The actress—who recently reprised her role as Natasha Naginsky in the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That...—candidly spoke about her experience on the show in an interview with Elle, which was published on Friday.
Addressing the death of Noth's character, James "Mr. Big" Preston in the premiere episode of And Just Like That..., the actress said: "I thought it was okay. It made sense. It's part of life—it's part of the lives of women and men of a certain age. It's what's happening.
"To me, it was like, 'Okay, this is the way that they're jumping into it, ripping off the Band-Aid.' Good for them [for] being bold and being real. I'm seeing friends of mine have real emotional, grieving responses to the first two episodes. Like, sobbing.
"These characters have been part of people's lives for so long and they have really gotten invested in the characters' lives; they are grieving for someone they feel like they have known."
However, when her interviewer Claire Stern said that the timing of his character's death was "tricky," given the emergence of the allegations, Moynahan was decidedly less willing to comment on that matter.
"I don't know anything about... it would be inappropriate for me to comment on things I don't have any knowledge of," she responded.
While Moynahan has so far opted to decline offering a comment, her "deeply saddened" co-stars Parker, Davis and Nixon shared a joint statement on their respective Instagram accounts, as they said they supported the women who had come forward.
"We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth," shared the statement, posted on the actresses' Instagram Stories. "We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it."
In interviews with The Hollywood Reporter, published on Thursday, one woman accused Noth of sexually assaulting her in 2004, while another alleged that he engaged in similar behavior toward her in 2015.
"The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false," Noth said in response to the allegations. "These stories could've been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago—no always means no—that is a line I did not cross.
"The encounters were consensual. It's difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don't know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women."
In an interview with The Daily Beast, which was published on Friday, another woman accused Noth of sexually assaulting her in 2010 when she was aged 18.
A representative for Noth told People of the article: "The story is a complete fabrication, and the alleged accounts detailed throughout read like a piece of bad fiction. As Chris stated yesterday, he has and would never cross that line."
The allegations have led to Law & Order star Noth being fired from his role in The Equalizer, as well as being let go from his talent agency, A3 Artists Agency. The $12 million sale of Noth's Ambhar tequila brand was also canceled.
Noth's Mr Big character died in the debut episode of And Just Like That..., following a vigorous exercise session on his stationary Peloton bike.
Although the fitness brand's stock plummeted as a result, Peloton teamed up with Noth and Ryan Reynolds to release a tongue-in-cheek ad, in which prospective customers were told that exercise improves cardiovascular health.
The video became an instant viral hit, amassing millions of views within hours. However, in light of the allegations, the clip was removed from the social media accounts of Peloton and Reynolds.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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