Samantha Jones is the most controversial character on Sex and the City, known for her bold statements, confident attitude, and mostly progressive world view. But she wasn’t an angel. There were certain things that Samantha did to people throughout the series that annoyed many fans of the show.
Similarly, there were moments where others treated her unfairly which seemed to balance out her worst moments and made her all the more loveable. From racist and transphobic moments to infidelity, keep reading to find out what the worst things Samantha did were, and the worst things that were done to her.
Shame On Samantha: Cheating On Smith
Many fans would agree that Smith Jerrod is right up there with Harry Goldenblatt as one of the best romantic interests on the show. So it broke many hearts when Samantha decided to cheat on him with her old fling Richard, who never treated her right.
When Samantha was finished with Richard, she had instant regrets, but Smith understood and forgave her (further melting the hearts of fans who love him).
Shame On The Others: The Women Slut-Shaming Her Multiple Times
The other women constantly slut-shamed Samantha for the duration of the show and it wasn’t okay. Charlotte was the worst culprit, even asking Samantha is her body was in the New York City Guidebook because it was like the hottest spot in town.
Even Carrie, who was supposed to be a “woke” sex columnist, was judgmental of her upon occasion. Luckily, it was all like water off a duck’s back and Samantha never stopped being herself.
Shame On Samantha: Her Insensitivities When She Dated Chivon
The storyline where Samantha dates a black man named Chivon and then has to break up with him because his sister doesn’t approve of her race would probably never get made today.
Samantha was pretty insensitive during the whole saga with Chivon, suddenly adopting elements of African-American culture into her speech, refusing to try and understand Adeena’s point of view, and saying things like, “I don’t see color, I only see conquests.”
Shame On The Others: Dominic Breaking Her Heart (Again)
In comparison to the other women on the show, Samantha rarely left herself open to heartbreak. One of the exceptions was with Dominic, an ex whom Carrie revealed was the only man who broke Samantha’s heart.
Although Samantha planned to get revenge, she ended up falling for him all over again and was devastated when he dumped her for an Icelandic supermodel for the second time.
Shame On Samantha: Using Lucy Liu’s Name To Buy A Birkin
For the most part, Samantha was a great publicist and it was easy for viewers to see why she was in high demand. That said, there were times when she abused her power, like when she told the people at Hermés that the Birkin she wanted was for her client, Lucy Liu, just to move up the waiting list. This, of course, came back to bite her when Liu found out about her dishonesty and fired her.
Shame On The Others: Richard Cheating On Her
The first time the viewers got to see Samantha being truly vulnerable was when she fell in love with Richard Wright. Although Samantha always deserved better than Richard, it was still difficult to watch her walk in on him cheating on her with another woman.
Thankfully, Samantha never gave Richard the chance to break her heart in the same way again, although she did briefly get back together with him.
Shame On Samantha: Assaulting A Sex Worker
Being awoken by loud people on the street in the middle of the night would be annoying, but that’s no excuse for assaulting someone who’s making a lot of noise by throwing a bucket of water over their head.
Samantha did this to one of the trans sex workers who woke her up in the middle of the night and it wasn’t cool. During the episode, Samantha also came out with a few derogatory slurs against the trans community.
Shame On The Others: The Women Judging Her For Gaining Weight
In the Sex and the City movie, Samantha returned from Los Angeles having gained a little weight. Throughout the film, she began turning to food as a comfort to help her resist the temptation to cheat on Smith.
Rather than being supportive of her problems, the girls poked fun at her weight when they saw her and acted as shocked as if she’d painted herself blue.
Shame On Samantha: Not Taking Her Vote Seriously
Some people aren’t as interested in politics as others, and that’s okay. But at the same time, the comment, “I don’t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties,” was slightly obnoxious of Samantha.
It proved that she was in a position of such privilege that the elected party made no difference to her life whatsoever and also indicated a general lack of empathy.
Shame On The Others: William Standing Her Up
Samantha never became quite as attached to William as she did to Dominic or Richard, but it was still hard to watch her get stood up by him after he’d slept with her and made her promises about their future. Seeing a strong woman like Samantha reduced to tears in a restaurant was almost too much to handle.
