Following the release of And Just Like That, two women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against actor Chris Noth, aka Mr Big. Writer Lauren Windle discusses what this means for the alleged victims and the show
Last week I wrote about my fondness for Sex and the City on this blog. Not necessarily an easy thing to do when you know you’re addressing a Christian audience who will almost certainly disapprove of the content.
Since writing that post, allegations have surfaced about actor Chris Noth, who plays Carrie’s husband Big in the show.
Two women came forward in the last month and accused the Good Wife actor of sexual assault.
The women were completely separate, didn’t know each other and the alleged incidents happened ten years apart in different cities.
Some may say this leaves a bitter taste in their mouth and taints the fun revival of the show for them, but this is far bigger than that.
I can already hear the rings of the nay-sayers asking why they waited so long to come forward, how can we know they’re telling the truth and can they even remember these events now?
It is true that Chris Noth hasn’t been tried for these crimes and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence until he is proven otherwise.
But it’s worth noting that the fact that these cases are historical doesn’t make them any less believable. It can take years for a woman to even accept that she was raped, let alone say it out loud to another person.
We have failed to treat women who come forward with the respect that they deserve and need at such a devastating time
I don’t have the particulars of this case and haven’t spoken to the alleged victims, but I do know what I would say if I did; their experience and story is important, they will be heard and fully investigated and that they will be given all the support they need while that happens.
Sadly, both in and out of the Church, we have failed to treat women who come forward with the respect that they deserve and need at such a devastating time.
As Christians, we know that no one is fully good (bar Jesus) and that no one is fully bad. We can’t expect people in the media to align with our expectations of them. Just because they were kind on a TV show doesn’t mean they will always make kind decisions in their personal life.
Does that make them pure evil? No. It makes them flawed and broken. Does it mean they’re no longer a good actor and that their creative output is invalid? I would say no. But cancel culture wouldn’t agree with me.
But, in the case of Chris Noth, if he is guilty of what he’s accused of we can agree he’s behaved deplorably and we condemn those actions. We believe he should make amends for those behaviours and serve the appropriate punishment. We pray for him and thank God that he is a God of justice so we don’t have to dish out our own.
But mostly we pray for those women. We pray for the brave women who step forward to publicly discuss one of the most horrific moments in their life, knowing that they are unlikely to be believed and unlikely to see justice. We pray for them because their courage helps keep other women safe and shows the women who choose to stay silent that they are not alone.
