Sex and the City’s Chris Noth denies sexual assault allegations in first interview

Four women have accused Sex and the City actor Chris Noth of sexual assault. Photo / AP

Actor Chris Noth has insisted he’s not guilty of sexual misconduct as he spoke out for the first time about the claims that hit pause on his career.

The Sex and the City star, 68 - who says he’s still close with his former castmates - told USA Today that he had consensual encounters outside his marriage, reports the Daily Mail.

“I strayed on my wife, and it’s devastating to her and not a very pretty picture ... what it isn’t, is a crime,” he said.

Noth has been married to Tara Wilson, 38, since 2012. The pair dated for 10 years before marrying and have two children, Orion, 15, and Keats, 3.

The actor admitted he’d been unfaithful, saying: “You give yourself the same excuses that many men do; it’s just a little side dance and it’s fun.

“You’re not hurting anybody. No one’s going to know about this, you know, and sex is just enjoyable. And suddenly, a lot of people want to have sex with you. It’s like, ‘Well, I’m not going to get this chance again.’”

But it comes after four women told a different story about their encounters with him. In December 2021, weeks after Noth’s character Mr Big died on SATC spin-off And Just Like That, two women came forward alleging sexual misconduct.

Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie Sex and the City 2.

One woman said Noth raped her in 2015 when she met him at the nightclub where she worked. The other told The Hollywood Reporter that Noth raped her in 2004.

His representative said the allegations were “categorically false” - but a third woman then told The Daily Beast that Noth had assaulted her when she was 18. A fourth woman also accused him of misconduct, but Noth denied all the allegations.

After the claims were made public, Noth was fired from the CBS drama The Equalizer.

His And Just Like That co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis shared a joint statement that read: “We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.”

No criminal charges have yet been filed.

The actor has insinuated that his accusers have a financial motive, saying: “That’s a money train for a lot of people ... there’s nothing I can say to change anyone’s mind when you have that kind of a tidal wave.”

“It sounds defensive. I’m not. There’s no criminal court. There’s no criminal trial. There’s nothing for me to get on the stand about and get my story out, get witnesses.”