Sara Ramirez has been dropped from And Just Like That because their character Che Diaz was a ‘waste of airtime,’ according to insiders, who shut down the actor’s claim that being pro-Palestine cost them the role.
Ramirez, 48, a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns, implied they will not return for the third season of the Sex and the City spin-off in a series of posts shared to Instagram on Tuesday.
They heavily suggested their time on the show was over as they claimed ‘casting directors and agents are making black lists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians and Gaza to ensure they will not work again.’
But a source close to the show ridiculed the suggestion, claiming Ramirez’s head had been ‘on the chopping block since last season’ because their character ‘held no value anymore’ and was ‘annoying.’
Sara Ramirez has been dropped from And Just Like That because their character Che Diaz was a ‘waste of airtime
The 48-year-old heavily suggested in a series of Instagram posts that their time on the show was over owing to their political views. Pictured as Che with Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes
Ramirez had claimed ‘casting directors and agents are making black lists’ of people who post in support of Palestinians and Gaza. Pictured at a Queers for Palestine rally in Brooklyn
‘Sara was not fired because they support Palestine and the cease fire,’ they told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Sara was fired because Che brought nothing to the show anymore. They were on the chopping block since last season.
‘After Che split with Miranda, the character really held no value anymore and fans found them annoying. The storyline as a struggling comedian was a waste of airtime and Sara knew it.’
Addressing how there are no talks to axe Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes over the actress’ stance on Palestine, the source continued: ‘Cynthia has been incredibly vocal about her support for Palestine and for her being an open lesbian.
‘Sara needs to accept that this is not Grey’s Anatomy, and her character was not a pivotal part of the storyline.’
DailyMail.com has contacted a representative for Ramirez for comment. Max, which airs the show, declined to comment.
Che, a newcomer to the spin-off series who introduced themselves as a ‘queer nonbinary Mexican Irish diva,’ struck up a relationship with Miranda after she abandoned her marriage to husband Steve Brady.
The character was accused of being the ‘worst’ on the series, which saw Miranda reunited on screen with Carrie Bradshaw and Charlotte York, played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis, respectively.
Viewers found the character ‘cringe’ and accused them of ‘[setting] back non-binary representation 70 years.’
Ramirez accused the industry of being ‘performative’ in a lengthy post on Instagram
Che famously had an affair with Miranda (pictured) in the Sex and the City spin-off series
Ramirez appeared to accuse the show of dropping them over their political views, in an Instagram rant the night after the Emmy Awards.
‘Our industry is so duplicitous,’ they said. ‘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.
‘While they award “lgbtq orgs,” they are silent on those orgs ties to weapons manufacturers who are currently supporting the Israel military as it commits genocide on Palestinian lives that include LGBTQIA2S+ lives.’
Ramirez mocked people who need awards – ridiculing them as something ‘shiny’ that makes people ‘feel special and powerful.’
But the performer said it was a dark time to celebrate, while thousands were dying in Gaza.
Ramirez previously took to the streets of Brooklyn waving a transgender flag at a Palestinian protest.
‘It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are,’ she said. ‘Even more performative than the last character I played.’
Their derision of their character echoes a line they said in the second season of the show when Diaz is given a pilot for a Netflix comedy, which flopped.
Diaz struggles with how producers want them to appear, and says they are reduced to ‘some phoney, sanitized, performative, cheesy, dad joke bulls**t version of what the non-binary experience is.’
And Just Like That has been renewed for a third season – pictured L-R Nixon as Miranda, Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York-Goldenblatt
In June, journalist Brock Colyar mocked Ramirez for appearing to hold many of the same opinions as the character they play without any sense of irony, in an article for The Cut.
The former Grey’s Anatomy star clapped back at the ‘hack job,’ and insisted: ‘I am not the fictional characters I have played, nor am I responsible for the things that are written for them to say. I am a human being, an artist, an actor.
‘And we are living in a world that has become increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to free themselves from the gender binary, or disrupt the mainstream.’
The character won the approval of Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell who applauded the non-binary, queer stand-up comedian for not wanting to be a mom.
‘I like Che Diaz because Che Diaz is freeing,’ she said back in November.
‘Here’s a character who doesn’t get the motherhood thing – I love that, that’s a breath of fresh air.’
And Just Like that premiered in 2021 with a second season dropping last year. Production on season three was delayed by the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Filming has not yet begun, and Max has confirmed it will not return to screens until 2025.