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 addressed the departure of her character Miranda Hobbes’ love interest, Che Diaz, played by Sara Ramirez, in a new interview.

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

“They created such a great character — such a controversial character, but such a great character,” the Emmy winner, 58, said of Ramirez’s role on the show. Variety.

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

Nixon also reflected on how she has become more like her character on the series over the years, while Miranda has become “a lot more like” her.

“It wasn’t anything I was advocating for, but smart writers, especially when it comes to long-term projects that continue and evolve, try [to] put as much of the real person into that character as possible,” she thought. ‘Because that’s one of the things that makes television, 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 because many felt her character was a “waste of airtime” and “annoying” viewers.

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

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

“Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the ceasefire,” they told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Sara was fired because Che didn’t bring anything to the show anymore. They have been on the chopping block since last season.

‘After Che broke up with Miranda, the character really had no value anymore and fans found them annoying. The storyline as a struggling comedian was a waste of time and Sara knew it.”

The source revealed that there have been no discussions with Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes about the actress’ position on Palestine and continued: ‘Cynthia has been incredibly vocal about her support of Palestine and being an open lesbian.

“Sara has to accept that this isn’t Grey’s Anatomy, and that her character wasn’t a central part of the storyline.”

Che, a newcomer to the spin-off series who introduced herself as a “queer non-binary Mexican Irish diva,” began dating Miranda after leaving her marriage to husband Steve Brady.

The character was accused of being the ‘worst’ of 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] non-binary representation going back 70 years.”

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

“Our industry is so duplicitous,” they said. “While giving away prizes, casting directors and agents create blacklists of actors and workers who post in support of the Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.

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

“While they reward ‘LGBTQ organizations,’ they are silent about those organizations’ ties to weapons manufacturers who are currently supporting the Israeli military as it commits genocide on Palestinian lives, including LGBTQIA2S+ lives.”

Ramirez mocked people who need awards, ridiculing them as something “shiny” that makes people “feel special and powerful.”

But the artist said it was a dark time to celebrate as thousands of people died in Gaza.

Ramirez previously took to the streets of Brooklyn and waved a transgender flag during a Palestinian protest.

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

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

Diaz struggles with the way producers want them to come across, saying they’ve been reduced to “some fake, sanitized, performative, cheesy, dad joke bulls**t version of what the non-binary experience is.”

In June, journalist Brock Colyar mocked Ramirez for seeming to have 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’, insisting: “I am not the fictional characters I played, nor am I responsible for the things written for them. I am a human being, an artist, an actor.

“And we live in a world that has become increasingly hostile to anyone who dares to break free from the gender binary, or disrupt the mainstream.”

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

Season three began filming earlier this month in New York City.

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