The juggernaut known as Sex and the City, based on the book by Candace Bushnell, premiered in 1998, and after 94 episodes, it came to an end in 2004. It followed the adventures of four female friends in New York City through their ever-evolving romantic entanglements. It also gave fans a glimpse at what it's like to have a career in Manhattan as a young woman.
When the audience first met the women, they were already established in their chosen and varied professions, but they, just as their friends and lovers - and the city itself - evolved, grew, and transformed to change with the always new opportunities that presented themselves in the Big Apple.
10 Carrie Bradshaw - $185,000
Remember when the fashionista (Sarah Jessica Parker) got Vogue to pay 50-cents a word for her essays? The prolific freelance writer with a successful non-fiction book culled together from her Sex And The City columns could probably up that ante and get the same amount out of New York Magazine, where she had contract assignments. The weekly paper, not so much.
Royalties from her best-selling book most likely brought her salary into the impressive range. No matter how much she made though, Carrie always lived beyond her means.
9 Samantha Jones - $275,000
Kim Cattrall's public relations guru, with her high profile clients (remember Richard the hotelier?) most likely brought in between 200 to 300 thousand a year, but when she took over as Smith Jerrod's publicist, the bombshell probably took a percentage of what he made. Considering that his star was on the rise, that helped her salary rise, as well.
8 Charlotte York Goldenblatt - $0
Stay at home mom Kristin Davis once probably took in about 100 grand as a high-end art dealer/gallery manager, but she gave that up when she married Trey so she could volunteer as a museum docent.
When they got divorced, her settlement from the good doctor, which included the Park Avenue apartment, her diamond engagement ring, and what she negotiated in the prenup, seemed to not require her to return to work again. Then she married her divorce lawyer Harry and motherhood became her job.
7 Miranda Hobbs - $600,000
These were the years before the crash of 2008, so this Harvard-educated, type-A attorney (Cynthia Nixon) was raking in the big bucks. She paid her dues, clocked in the billable hours, and made it to the C-suite.
Not only did she buy her own apartment (her response being, "Just me," every time the broker asked whether her dad or her boyfriend were giving her the money for the down payment), she also hired an interior decorator - who ended up married to a guy Miranda had her eye on.
6 Mr. Big - Millions
The profession of John James Preston (Chris Noth) was always as elusive as the handsome, successful man himself. One thing was clear though, he was loaded.
The impression was that he was a financier and invested in entrepreneurial ventures. He obviously worked for himself given how he would just pick up and move (Paris, San Francisco) to wherever the next deal was or when he had a desire to buy a vineyard. Then, he'd come back to his apartment in Manhattan, which sat vacant waiting for his return.
5 Steve Brady - $75,000
The down on his luck bartender (David Eigenberg) who lived in the embarrassingly dingy apartment when he first met Miranda, and couldn't afford a decent suit to take her to one of her firm's functions, ended up doing all right for himself.
He took Miranda's pep talks to heart - after they broke up of course - partnered up with Carrie's ex furniture-making boyfriend Aiden and opened his bar. Given the Meatpacking District location and the markup on drinks in NYC, his future earnings will be much more after the startup costs are paid off.
4 Harry Goldenblatt - $500,000
Considering that this divorce attorney (Evan Handler) was also a partner in his firm and was described as "a killer" by his colleague who was originally Charlotte's lawyer, he did well for himself in pre-crash NYC. "I am the Hamptons, baby, I've got a house in Bridge," Harry announced to Charlotte.
If all the divorce clients he represented had the bucks and the assets the caliber of The MacDougals, he was only going to get richer.
3 Magda - $70,000
When this older Ukrainian woman (Lynn Cohen) began working for Miranda, her duties were solely that of a housekeeper and she was probably making about $30,000 - a bit above average - because of her experience and the lawyer's need to trust someone in her home.
Proving her competence and loyalty, the employee's duties were expanded to nanny after Brady was born, which probably doubled her salary since her responsibilities doubled. Anyone who ever saw The Nanny Diaries knows that when you get a good one, you pay them anything to stay.
2 Stanford Blatch - $65,000
Like Carrie, the talent agent (Willie Garson) was part of the NYC glitterati scene. He also comes from a very aristocratic family (trust fund), so for him, a job was a fun thing to do, not a way to put food on the table.
Given that he moved in fashion/entertainment circles and had many contacts due to his upscale family connections, he did better than most, but not as well as those who actually hustled. Those who did, brought in salaries as high as $110,000.
1 Smith Jerrod - $100,000
The young waiter (Jason Lewis) who Samantha picked up at the trendy restaurant called "Raw" was performing for free to a close-to-empty theater in Brooklyn. When their relationship went from just sex to genuine affection, the publicist opened doors and "first come the girls, then the gays, then Hollywood."
She gets him modeling job as the "Absolut Hunk," which leads to an appearance on MTV's The Real World, then movie roles. Given his looks, determination, and a sprinkling of Samantha's know-how, the A-list and the money that goes with it were on the horizon.
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July 24, 2020 at 05:30AM
