Cynthia Nixon addresses the exit of ‘controversial character’ Che Diaz played by Sara Ramirez that ‘shook everything up’ on And Just Like That

Cynthia Nixon weighed in on the departure of her character Miranda Hobbes’ love interest, Che Diaz, portrayed by Sara Ramirez, in a new interview. 

Following the news that Ramirez, 48, a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns, would not be returning to the third season of And Just Like That, Nixon, 58, praised their polarizing performance on Max’s Sex and the City spinoff. 

‘They created such an amazing character — such a controversial character, but such an amazing character,’ the Emmy winner, 58, said of Ramirez’s role on the show to Variety.

The mother-of-three continued: ‘I think they felt, and Michael Patrick King [And Just Like That’s creator] felt, that that character had run its course. They came in and shook everything up, and then the arc was completed.’ 

Nixon also reflected on how, over the years, she’s grown to be more like her character on the series while Miranda has become ‘much more like’ her. 

‘It was nothing that I was advocating for, but smart writers, particularly on long-term projects that keep going and evolving, try [to] put as much of the real person in that character as they can,’ she reflected. ‘Because that’s one of the things that makes television or film or theater so powerful — when the person playing the role has a personal connection.’  

In January, insiders told DailyMail.com that Ramirez had been dropped from the cast as many felt her character was a ‘waste of airtime’ and ‘annoying’ viewers. 

This came after Ramirez heavily suggested their time on the show was over for expressing pro-Palestinian beliefs. 

But a source close to the show ridiculed the suggestion, claiming Ramirez’s head had been ‘on the chopping block since last season’ because their character ‘held no value anymore’ and was ‘annoying.’ 

‘Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the cease fire,’ they told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Sara was fired because Che brought nothing to the show anymore. They were on the chopping block since last season.

‘After Che split with Miranda, the character really held no value anymore and fans found them annoying. The storyline as a struggling comedian was a waste of airtime and Sara knew it.’

Addressing how there are no talks to axe Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes over the actress’ stance on Palestine, the source continued: ‘Cynthia has been incredibly vocal about her support for Palestine and for her being an open lesbian.

‘Sara needs to accept that this is not Grey’s Anatomy, and her character was not a pivotal part of the storyline.’

Che, a newcomer to the spin-off series who introduced themselves as a ‘queer nonbinary Mexican Irish diva,’ struck up a relationship with Miranda after she abandoned her marriage to husband Steve Brady.

The character was accused of being the ‘worst’ on the series, which saw Miranda reunited on screen with Carrie Bradshaw and Charlotte York, played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis, respectively.

Viewers found the character ‘cringe’ and accused them of ‘[setting] back non-binary representation 70 years.’

Ramirez appeared to accuse the show of dropping them over their political views, in an Instagram rant the night after the Emmy Awards. 

‘Our industry is so duplicitous,’ they said. ‘While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.

‘While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go.

‘While they award “lgbtq orgs,” they are silent on those orgs ties to weapons manufacturers who are currently supporting the Israel military as it commits genocide on Palestinian lives that include LGBTQIA2S+ lives.’

Ramirez mocked people who need awards – ridiculing them as something ‘shiny’ that makes people ‘feel special and powerful.’

But the performer said it was a dark time to celebrate, while thousands were dying in Gaza. 

Ramirez previously took to the streets of Brooklyn waving a transgender flag at a Palestinian protest.

‘It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are,’ she said. ‘Even more performative than the last character I played.’

Their derision of their character echoes a line they said in the second season of the show when Diaz is given a pilot for a Netflix comedy, which flopped.

Diaz struggles with how producers want them to appear, and says they are reduced to ‘some phoney, sanitized, performative, cheesy, dad joke bulls**t version of what the non-binary experience is.’

In June, journalist Brock Colyar mocked Ramirez for appearing to hold many of the same opinions as the character they play without any sense of irony, in an article for The Cut. 

The former Grey’s Anatomy star clapped back at the ‘hack job,’ and insisted: ‘I am not the fictional characters I have played, nor am I responsible for the things that are written for them to say. I am a human being, an artist, an actor. 

‘And we are living in a world that has become increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to free themselves from the gender binary, or disrupt the mainstream.’

And Just Like that premiered in 2021 with a second season dropping last year. Production on season three was delayed by the Hollywood writers’ strike.

Filming on season three began in New York City earlier this month.

Max previously confirmed that the show will return to screens in 2025.