Candace Bushnell, the mastermind whose books sparked the ‘Sex and the City’ craze, just dropped a bombshell: she won’t see a dime in royalties now that the show has sashayed from HBO Max to Netflix. At 65, Bushnell’s taking this latest twist in her stride, albeit with a sharp critique of the industry’s profit shuffle.
Chatting candidly with the Times of London, Bushnell didn’t mince words. “It’s all about the money for those at the top. They shuffle the deck, but it’s us writers who end up short-changed,” she lamented, pointing out the stark gender disparities in the business world.
Bushnell’s brainchild, which aired on HBO from the late ’90s to the early 2000s, wasn’t just a show; it was a cultural touchstone, following the love and life antics of Carrie and co. as they conquered New York City with style and wit.
For her original story, HBO cut Bushnell a check for $100,000 – a modest sum for what would become a global sensation, spawning movies, and even the recent reboot, ‘And Just Like That’. But as the third season of the reboot looms, Bushnell’s revelation casts a new light on the story behind the screen.
The industry may be all about the hustle, but Bushnell’s also spotlighting another side of the biz: the ongoing conversation about fairness and creator compensation. As ‘Sex and the City gears up for its Netflix revival in 2024, it seems there’s more drama brewing off-screen than on.