And just like that, Aidan Shaw will be back for season 2 (apparently for real this time)

News of a Sex and the City reboot first broke early last year. Understandably sending fans of the show into a frenzy of anticipation, many hearts were broken when it was revealed that Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall, would not be making a comeback. Even more hearts were broken when it was reported that neither Chris Roth nor John Corbett would be returning either.

As we now know, Big did return, albeit briefly (*spoiler alert: he died). Aidan, however, was noticeably absent… this despite Corbett’s claims that he would be featuring in season one. Speaking to Page Six about the reboot in April last year, Corbett, a.k.a. Aidan Shaw, said “I’m going to do the show.” Questioned on how many episodes he would appear in, Corbett answered with a vague “I think I might be in quite a few” – later adding that the news was “very exciting” for him.

Sarah Jessica Parker seemed to quell those rumours, leaving a very cryptic comment underneath a post shared by the Every Outfit on SATC Instagram account that read,  “I’m not saying one way or another whether our beloved Mr. Corbett’s interview deals in facts or fiction but the response is amazing to read… x”.

The token “x” at the end of the sentence did little to reassure me if I’m honest, and sure enough it was SJP who was right as Mr Shaw never made his promised comeback. 

Fast forward to this weekend and the And Just Like That rumour mill kicked into action once again. “Sex and the City fans can rejoice – John Corbett’s Aidan Shaw will reunite with former love Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) on HBO Max’s And Just Like That,” Deadline reported. According to them, Corbett “is set for a substantial, multi-episode arc on the second season of the Sex and the City followup” and will be reprising his role as the original series’ beloved furniture maker. Reps for HBO Max and Mr Corbett declined to comment though… which does seem slightly suss if you ask me.

Explaining why Corbett’s character didn’t feature in the first season, executive producer Michael Patrick King told Deadline that it was because they wanted to get Carrie through Big’s death first. “It really just felt like this was a lot for Carrie,” he said. “This season was a lot. We wanted to get her through [Big’s death] and into the light… We wanted to get her out. [Aidan’s return] is a big storyline that everybody at home wrote that we had never intended.”

That said, Parker never ruled a potential Corbett appearance out. “I think he would be… I mean, I’m not going, yes, all of it’s possible,” she said at the time.

So, who’s telling the truth this time? Only time will tell, I suppose.