"The most glorious ensemble of women" Sarah Jessica Parker is looking back at her stint as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City

Sarah Jessica Parker is looking back at her time as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, as the actress is being honored with the 2026 Carol Burnett Award, for her contribution to television. The actress accepted the award to the theme music of her show, as she reflected on her character and the iconic series that remains one of her biggest projects.

Addressing the role, while thanking all the people involved on Sex and the City, Parker said,

“It’s the nature of the journeyman to move on, but in 1997 because [agent] Kevin [Huvane] said I had to say yes, I met Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Samantha Jones and Miranda Hobbes, and I spent 25 years with the most glorious ensemble of women and actors, where we treated all of New York like CBS Television City and the streets like Studio 33. Darren Star, thanking you for thinking me your Carrie seems inefficient, but it is what I everlastingly feel. And Michael Patrick King, our longtime leader, my partner and Carrie’s extraordinary narrator, you left no stone unturned for Carrie’s better or worse; only for my better.”

She then went on to talk about her passion for acting and what it's like to receive an award that has Burnett's name as she added,

“I had this desire to audition, to work hard, to care, to worry about the work, to be nervous, to fail, to be fearless and committed like Carol Burnett, to succeed, to have made friends, to be in another fitting, to fall in love with crews, to weep when saying goodbye to them all, to be challenged and to hear the word, ‘Action.’ I wish this for all young actors.”

The legacy of Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw

Carrie Bradshaw, with her tutu and her $400 shoes and her choice to buy a Vogue magazine over dinner, became one of the most iconic characters we have seen on screen. Introduced in HBO's Sex and the City and brought to life by Sarah Jessica Parker, Carrie became the voice of a generation that was messy, romantic, ambitious, flawed and deeply confused about love.

At her core, Carrie is a writer trying to make sense of her life in New York City, but her weekly column turns dates, breakups, and emotional spirals into questions that feel painfully familiar. Can you love someone who cannot love you back properly? Should independence ever be compromised for romance? Why do we want what hurts us? And although Carrie never pretends to have clean answers, the relatability of her character made her have a lasting impact.

From her quotes to her iconic fashion sense, she has successfully and has fit into the current generation. Decades later, Carrie still sparks debates, memes, and think pieces. You may cringe at her choices, judge her decisions, or want to shake her through the screen while binge watching Sex and the City, but you cannot deny her legacy, one that shines still and is one of the best things about the show.

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Sex and the City is available to watch on HBO Max.

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