Candace Bushnell: The Real-Life Carrie Bradshaw!

“Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.”

What an iconic line, am I right? It belongs, of course, to none other than Carrie Bradshaw – the scandalous journalist of a sex column and protagonist of the hit show "Sex and the City". Without a doubt, the characters in "SATC" were ahead of their time and truly powerful women. And we all love them for that! But did you know that the inspiration for the series actually came from a real-life journalist?

May we present to you Candace Bushnell – the real-life Carrie Bradshaw!

Candace Bushnell was born in Connecticut in 1958. At only 19 years old, Bushnell packed up all her belongings and moved the New York City with big ambitions. She started as a freelance journalist until 1993, when she began writing for the New York Observer. Only a year later, Bushnell started her own column at the newspaper called “Sex and the City”. In this column, Bushnell documented her dating life – from the great romances down to the walk-of-shame slip-ups.

The journalist continued her column for two years and eventually published them in an anthology book also called “Sex and the City” in 1996. When Bushnell met producer Darren Star at Vogue that year, he was immediately impressed with her column and took it to HBO. And, well, that’s how Carrie Bradshaw and her friends came to life!

But just how much of "Sex and the City" is based on Candace Bushnell? Quite a bit, actually! Let’s start with the icon Carrie Bradshaw herself – Bushnell’s alter ego. Yes, it’s true, the journalist has revealed that Bradshaw is just another version of herself. Both are journalists, both have a sex column, and both have an epic love life – yes, we can totally see it now!

Carrie’s closest advisors – Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte – are based on Candace’s real-life friends. And Sandford Blatch, who we cannot forget, is based on Clifford Streit, the producer of American Psycho! Wow, that makes the show feel even more exciting!

But, of course, we cannot talk about "Sex and the City" without talking about Mr. Big. Ah, the heartbreak, rage, and tears we felt over the screen as we watched Carrie and Big fall in and out of love over and over again. But who is the mysterious Mr. Big based on? The inspiration behind the character is former magazine executive Ron Galotti. Like Mr. Big, Galotti is a big deal. He was the former publisher for Vogue and GQ … and the ex-boyfriend of Candace Bushnell.

Fun Fact: He is called “Mr. Big” in the show because Bushnell said that Ron Galotti is “one of those New York guys with a big personality – you just notice him.”

The show quickly gained success and the fans wanted more! So, in 2010, Bushnell expanded the "SATC" universe and published the novel The Carrie Diaries, which also got adapted into a series that ran shortly on The CW. In 2021, the sequel to "SATC" called “And Just Like That” premiered on HBO and follows Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte as they navigate their love lives in their 50s. And guess what? They just released the trailer for the third season!

But Bushnell’s work far exceeds "Sex and the City"! She has also hosted a weekly talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio and was one of three judges on the reality TV show “Wickedly Perfect” on CBS. Furthermore, Bushnell’s writing credits span a wide range, from a comic webseries to her 2005 novel Lipstick Jungle that got adapted into an NBC series starring Brooke Shields.

Wow, doesn’t reading all this just make you wanna rewatch the whole series? Well, before you are off to do that, we need to establish one thing: Are you a Carrie, a Samantha, a Miranda, or a Charlotte?