Bobby Lee isn’t mincing words about why he believes he was left out of the upcoming third season of And Just Like That — and he thinks it has a lot to do with the show’s shifting political tone.
The 53-year-old comedian, best known for his work on MADtv and TigerBelly, opened up over the weekend while speaking with Entertainment Weekly at San Diego Comic-Con. When asked why he won’t be returning as Jackie Nee — Carrie Bradshaw’s quirky, offbeat podcast co-host — Lee offered a blunt assessment: the show is moving away from what some critics once labeled its “overly woke” direction.
“Some of the woke elements of the show, they got rid of, and I think I was a part of that,” Lee said, noting that he’s not the only cast member being written out. “I think Sara [Ramirez] didn’t come back and some other people. They tried to put minorities in, and — I don’t know. I never saw the show.”
Lee’s character, Jackie, was introduced in Season 1 as part of Carrie’s post-Big reboot — hosting a podcast alongside Che Díaz, played by Ramirez. The storyline marked a clear departure from the classic Sex and the City format, reflecting the reboot’s goal to modernize with diverse casting, non-binary representation, and more socially conscious themes. But that same effort sparked backlash from both fans and critics, with some praising the shift and others accusing the show of trying too hard.
Now, with Season 3 on the horizon, HBO has made quiet but clear adjustments to the ensemble. Ramirez is out. Karen Pittman (Dr. Nya Wallace) is out. And Lee, too, has not been asked to return. Whether it’s creative direction or political recalibration, And Just Like That seems to be course-correcting — and Lee suspects it’s a deliberate move.
“I don’t have any hard feelings,” he added. “But yeah, I think that’s what happened.”
For Lee, the experience of joining the franchise was unexpected from the start. “No. 1, I don’t even know why they asked,” he admitted. “And I was super scared to do it. Because it wasn’t my brand, really. You know what I mean? But I did it. I walked through the fear.”
Despite feeling like a fish out of water on the fashion-forward, emotionally layered dramedy, Lee has nothing but praise for his co-stars, especially Sarah Jessica Parker.
“Sarah Jessica Parker is the nicest person I’ve ever met. She made me feel so at ease,” he said. “I like everyone on there. It was fun. I never have bad blood with anybody. I am nice. I show up on time.”
Yet, the job came at a turning point in his personal life. During a candid appearance on Rachel Bilson’s Broad Ideas podcast in 2023, Lee revealed that working on AJLT directly contributed to his decision to get sober — a life change he describes as long overdue.
“I was in Hawaii and I was blackout drunk and my agent called and said, ‘They need you in New York,’” Lee recalled. “This is one of the reasons why I’m sober… On the plane, I thought, ‘I’m just gonna get s–tfaced,’ so I was in a blackout when we landed in New York.”
What happened next was a personal low point. “I remember going and being so high and drunk,” Lee said of his first day on set. “When I was reading the script, I couldn’t even understand what the f–k it was even saying. It was a nightmare. I remember thinking, ‘This is never going to happen again — I have to get sober.’”
That moment — humbling and chaotic — became a wake-up call. And since then, Lee has remained sober, building not just a healthier lifestyle but a more stable and grounded career.
Still, the abrupt shift in AJLT’s cast has left questions in its wake. Was it about cost-cutting? Narrative streamlining? Or, as Lee suggests, a quiet retreat from the overly “woke” narrative critics once loudly called out?
HBO has not commented publicly on Lee’s exit. However, the show has seen its share of scrutiny for its handling of race, gender identity, and diversity — both in its casting and in its dialogue-heavy attempts to address social issues. Season 2 wrapped up Carrie’s podcast arc, making it convenient to write off characters like Jackie and Che. But whether those decisions were strictly narrative or also reflective of a shifting ethos behind the scenes remains up for debate.
For Lee, the experience is in the past — but it left a mark.
“I took the job even though it scared the hell out of me,” he said. “I’ll always be grateful for that. But yeah, I think I was part of the version of the show they’re now trying to move away from.”
New episodes of And Just Like That stream Thursdays at 9 p.m. on HBO Max.