Rosie O’Donnell is joining the cast of ‘And Just Like That’ for the show’s upcoming third series.
The 62-year-old comic and actress – who has racked up acting credits in classic films including ‘Suddenly Susan’ as well as TV roles in shows such as ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, ‘SMILF’ and the recent ‘American Gigolo’ – is set to play a new character called Mary in the follow-up to ‘Sex and the City’.
Rosie revealed the news on Instagram by posting a photo of the script, which she captioned: “Here comes mary #andjustlikethat @hbo.”
The script in her post also revealed Rosie will appear in the third season’s premiere, titled ‘Outlook Good’.
It has sparked speculation Rosie will be playing the love interest of Cynthia Nixon’s character Miranda Hobbs.
Rosie’s famous friends flocked to her Instagram to congratulate her over joining Sarah Jessica Parker, 59, Cynthia, 58, and Kristin Davis, 59, in the show.
Actress Ilana Glazer, 37, said: “We love it!”, while broadcaster Michelle Visage, 55, added: “Yesssssss.”
One fan referred to actor Sara Ramirez’s divisive character Che Diaz in their comment on Rosie’s announcement, saying: “Goodbye Che and hello Mary!!!”
Sara, 48, plated Che in the first two seasons of the Max series before exiting earlier this year.
The character was the love interest of Miranda, who came out as queer during the first season of ‘And Just Like That’.
Reports surfaced Sara would no longer be on the show after speculation the non-binary actor had been fired after sharing pro-Palestinian Instagram posts.
They said at the time: “While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.
“While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go.
“It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are. Even more performative than the last character I played.”
Despite the reports over her sacking, production sources told the Daily Mail the controversial character was always supposed to exit the show after its first two runs.
One source said: “Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the ceasefire.
“Sara was fired because Che brought nothing to the show anymore. After Che split with Miranda, the character really held no value anymore, and fans found them annoying.”
Tagged in Cynthia Nixon Sarah Jessica Parker Michelle Visage