20 Questions On Deadline Podcast: Karen Pittman On Departing ‘And Just Like That…’: “In A Perfect World I Would Have Been Able To Come Back”

My guest this week is Karen Pittman. She’s hit the headlines lately for her reported departure from the Max show And Just Like That…, and in this episode of 20 Questions on Deadline she explains why she won’t be back for Season 3.

Leaving the show was, Pittman said, purely due to a scheduling issue with her new upcoming Netflix series Forever and work on Season 4 of Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

“There’s a lot of things that went into making that decision. In a perfect world I would have been able to come back and do it. We don’t live in a perfect world… I wish the girls good luck for Season 3. I’m going to be cheering them on. But I was disappointed that Nya wasn’t coming back, but I hope that she lives in the imagination of the audience, still walking around New York City. I was so proud to embody that character—a brown-skinned, Black woman with braids.”

Pittman noted that the show’s predecessor, Sex and the City had been “very lily white”, and that it was “so important to have a character like [Nya], because she lives in New York in a real way. But I’m so proud of the work that we did on the show.”

Pittman also revealed details of her upcoming show Forever (release date TBC). Adapted from Judy Blume’s controversial 1975 novel by Mara Brock Akil and executive produced by Regina King, who will also direct, Pittman will star as Dawn, a corporate finance executive trying to guide her son Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.) through life as he experiences his first intense romance with Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone).

We discussed The Morning Show Season 4 too, and what might be in store for Pittman’s producer character Mia Jordan. The new season is set to air in 2025.

“[Showrunner] Charlotte [Stoudt] and I have had a few good conversations about what’s coming up for Mia,” Pittman said. “I think there is this decision on the part of the producers and writers, and also the audience, that they want to know more about Mia Jordan, they want to know more about Chris Hunter and Stella Bak – these women that are a part of the show, that happen to bring in the diverse element. We are living in a world where there is so much more diversity to be explored.”

And of course, we got into our 20 Questions, with Pittman revealing her ideal dinner date, her all-time dream role and even expertly singing some tunes from her karaoke playlist.

Click above to hear the episode and listen and subscribe on Spotify, iHeart or Apple podcasts.