Sarah Jessica Parker’s Net Worth: From ‘Sex and the City’ to ‘And Just Like That’
Sarah Jessica Parker, renowned for portraying Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO hit series Sex and the City, has been a prominent American actress for nearly four decades. Accumulating over 65 acting credits throughout her career, she continues to be one of television’s most successful actresses.
Yet, her remarkable success extends beyond her on-screen work. Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth is bolstered by her ventures as a producer and businesswoman, alongside an impressive real estate portfolio she shares with her husband, Matthew Broderick. Join us as we delve into her most notable achievements and trace her journey from humble beginnings to present-day triumphs.
Early Life
Sarah Jessica Parker was born on March 25th, 1965. Her father, Stephen Parker, was a journalist and entrepreneur. And her mother, Barbara Keck, was a teacher and operated a nursery school. However, when Parker was three years old, her parents divorced, and her mother remarried shortly after.
While the family lived in Cincinnati, her mother emulated a New York City lifestyle. The family struggled to support itself, as Parker was one of eight kids. Despite the challenges, Parker says she wouldn’t change any of it.
Even in her youth, Parker displayed a passion for performing, nurtured by her mother who exposed her and her siblings to numerous plays. This early exposure kindled Parker’s fascination with the arts, leading to formal music and ballet lessons. In 1976, her talent landed her a role in the Broadway production of The Innocents.
Her mother and stepfather were very supportive, moving the family to New York City so that she could get better training. And while in New York, Parker attended the School of American Ballet and the New York Professional Children’s School. When she moved to Los Angeles, she would Hollywood High School.
Acting Career
Before becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, thanks to her role as Carrie Bradshaw, Parker had started appearing in movies in the mid-80s. In 1984, she landed the role of Rusty in Footloose. The next few years would bring a slew of projects, from 1985’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun to 1986’s Flight of the Navigator.
In 1991, Parker starred alongside Steve Martin and Victoria Tennant in L.A. Story. And then, in 1992, she starred opposite Nicolas Cage in Honeymoon in Vegas, which grossed $35 million worldwide on its $25 million budget.
The Hocus Pocus Movies
In 1993, Parker was cast in what would become a Halloween cult classic, Disney’s Hocus Pocus. With a budget of $28 million, the film went on to gross $45 million worldwide. Nearly 30 years later, love for the title remained so strong among fans that Hocus Pocus 2 was made. The sequel was so successful for Disney+ that a third film is now in the works.
Jen D’Angelo is writing Hocus Pocus 3 while Anne Fletcher will direct the film. IMDB reports the project as having a $100 million dollar budget, which will likely include sizable salaries for Parker along with her costars Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy.
After appearing in Disney’s original Hocus Pocus, Parker went on to star in many additional films in the mid to late 90s, including Ed Wood, The First Wives Club, and Mars Attacks!
First Wives Club
In fact, 1996’s First Wives Club still sits third on the list of Parker’s most successful box office films. It brought in $181 million worldwide on a $26 million budget. And while all of these projects added to Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth, none of them would have the sizable impact that an upcoming TV series deal with HBO would have.
Sex and the City
Sex and the City debuted on HBO on June 6, 1998. It would run for six seasons, resulting in 94 episodes. Additionally, it would inspire two films and a series revival, 2021’s And Just Like That. The revival series is now in its second season on HBO’s rebranded platform, Max.
Parker’s role as Carrie Bradshaw wasn’t just likable to fans, it was also relatable and inspirational to millions of women, hence the massive following of the show. The Darren Star-created series was considered revolutionary for its time. Its female characters were independent, career-driven, and sexual. They didn’t fit the bill for the stereotypical woman who wanted to just get married and settle down. While it seems like a silly conversation point in 2022, it sadly wasn’t in 1998.
Salary Per Episode
Sex and the City made a massive impact on Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth. And while the cast’s salary for the first few seasons of the series hasn’t been confirmed, Parade speculates it was around $50 million. Additionally, they report that Parker earned $3.2 million per episode for the fourth season, which consisted of 18 episodes. Parker’s salary was also impacted by the fact that she received a producer credit on the series.
Parker’s salary is said to have stayed the same for the fifth and sixth seasons, which combined consisted of 28 episodes, bringing her total earnings for the last three seasons to $147 million.
In total, the TV series alone had nearly a $200 million impact on Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth.
The Sex and the City Movies
SATC’s loyal fan base was ecstatic when a reunion movie came out in 2008. The Sex and the City film made $418 million worldwide on its $65 million budget.
The film’s success spurred a sequel in 2010, which didn’t perform as highly. Sex and the City 2 made just over $290 million on its $100 million budget.
Parker earned $15 million for the first film and $20 million for the second movie. Her salaries were significantly higher than her cast-mates for the project, as it has been reported that Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis earned just $3 million each.
The Revival: And Just Like That
On December 9, 2021, HBO Max premiered the reboot of the series, And Just Like That… With the exception of Kim Cattrall, all of the main cast returned.
Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis all received north of $1 million per episode for the 10-episode first season of the series. Additionally, they all received executive producer credits as well.
And as of March 2022, the series was green-lit for a second season, which premiered the first two episodes (of 11 episodes) of the new season on June 22, 2023.
Awards
In addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars the series added to Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth, it also earned her numerous prestigious awards and nominations. The most notable of these are her five Golden Globe wins as Best Actress in a Television Series, two Emmy awards, one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and another Emmy award for the Outstanding Comedy Series, which she won as executive producer.
Real Estate
Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth is also sizably impacted by her real estate investments. In 2021, Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, sold their West Village Townhouse for $15 million. The couple had purchased the 4,182 square foot property in 2000 for $2.99 million, just three years after they had tied the knot.
In 2022, Parker listed her Hamptons hideaway in Amagansett, Long Island, on Booking.com. Unfortunately, as of writing this, the home wasn’t accepting bookings.
Parker also reportedly paid $19 million for a Greenwich Village townhouse, another $4 million for a Brooklyn Heights townhome, and two additional townhomes on West 11th Street for $34.5 million in 2016.
Other Ventures
Also adding to Sarah Jessica Parker is her production company, Pretty Matches, which she launched in 2005. She co-owns the firm with Alison Benson. In 2009, Parker struck a partnership with HBO, producing content for the cable channel and several others. Some of the most notable work that she has produced through Pretty Matches include the TV series Divorce and the movie Here and Now. According to IMDB Pro, the company has three upcoming projects in various stages of development.
In addition to her producing work, Parker has always been interested in fashion. Her Sex and the City role made her a fashion icon, which has resulted in her working on a number of campaigns for brands such as Gap, Jordache, and Garnier.
In 2007, Parker created her own fashion line called Bitten. It was sold exclusively at Steve & Barry’s but only until 2008. Then, in 2013, she moved into the shoe industry, launching her footwear line SJP.
Personal Life
Sarah Jessica Parker has been married to actor Matthew Broderick for over 25 years. Their eldest child, James Wilkie, was born in 2002. And they also welcomed twin daughters, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, in 2009.
Before tying the knot with Broderick, Parker also famously dated Robert Downey Jr. They were together for seven years.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s Net Worth 2023
Sarah Jessica Parker’s net worth has reached an estimated $200 million as of 2023. And her future endeavors, both in front of and behind the camera, are poised to further augment her wealth.
Fans of Parker can see her next in Season 2 of And Just Like That… She also has a number of additional projects in various stages of development, including a TV film titled Busted. She’ll also appear in the documentary Broadway: The Next Generation alongside Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, and Bernadette Peters.
Parker will also revisit the role of Sarah Sanderson in the upcoming Hocus Pocus 3. There’s no word yet on a release date for the flick, as it’s in the early stages of development with Disney.
Originally Published: October 3, 2022
Updated: June 24, 2023
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