‘Sex and the City’: Carrie Bradshaw Did Pay Charlotte York Back, Says One of the Show’s Writers

Sex and the City ran for six seasons on HBO and became a beloved series. The show didn’t become a cult classic because Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Samantha Jones, and Charlotte York were perfect people, though. Half the time, they weren’t even good friends to each other. In the end, though, they always had each other’s backs. Fans, however, have spent years debating one important moment in Carrie and Charlotte’s relationship. Did Carrie ever pay Charlotte back for the money she lent her so Carrie could buy her apartment? A writer for the series weighed in on the debate.

Carrie’s poor financial choices placed her in a dire situation in season 4

Carrie’s façade of a lucrative writing career crumbled in season 4 when she finally had to acknowledge that she had almost no money to her name. The big realization came after Aidan Shaw served Carrie with paperwork requiring her to either purchase her condo from him or vacate the premises so he could sell the property.

Carrie later revealed she had less than $1,000 in savings and was too high risk for a bank to consider her for a loan. During the crisis, she had several friends who were willing to bail her out of her predicament. Samantha and Miranda both offered to give her half of the money she needed for a down payment. Mr. Big also offered her the cash, giving her a check for $40,000 to help her out. The one friend who was unwilling to offer Carrie the money was Charlotte, although she eventually caved.

Fans note that Carrie’s attack on Charlotte was not her finest moment

Carrie and Charlotte’s relationship was markedly different from Carrie’s relationship with Miranda and Samantha. While Carrie butted heads with both Samantha and Miranda at some point during the show’s six-season run, she rarely had arguments with Charlotte. The one big fight they had, over Charlotte not offering Carrie money for her down payment, was a big one, though.

Since the incident happened, back in season 4 of the series, fans have debated Carrie’s reaction, with most believing that her verbal attack on Charlotte was completely misplaced. Yes, Charlotte didn’t offer Carrie the money as Samantha and Miranda did, but she wasn’t obligated to do so. Eventually, Charlotte did lend Carrie the money, with the stipulation that she would pay her back. The down payment was never mentioned again, though.

Amy Harris, a writer for Sex and the City has put the debate to rest

Vulture considers Carrie’s treatment of Charlotte to be one of the worst moments on the show. Fans generally agree, but viewers are more annoyed with the fact that the series never discussed the cash exchange again. Amy Harris, one of the show’s writers, however, is sure Carrie paid Charlotte back.

In an interview with CNBC, Harris said that money was a massive debate in the writers’ room, but she strongly believes Carrie did pay Charlotte back eventually. She said, “Sarah Jessica and I talked about this: We believe she paid her back. It was a loan, not a gift, so she did have to learn to save a little, to not spend everything on shoes and clothes.”