Editorial note: Spoilers ahead for “And Just Like That…” season three.
And just like that… the “Sex and the City” universe gave us the sweetest Jewish family connection.
In a recent episode, “And Just Like That…” introduced the wild revelation that Miranda’s son Brady got somebody pregnant. That somebody? Mia, an extremely Gen Z, extremely flatulent shampoo girl played by Ella Stiller. It was a great moment for the up-and-coming Jewish actress, who recently finished a run of an Off-Broadway play (her debut, no less), had a cameo in “Happy Gilmore 2” and is slated to star in the upcoming Bobby Farrelly movie “Driver’s Ed.”
But her scenes in “And Just Like That…” also have more heartfelt resonances, too. In playing the mother of Brady’s child, this means that Mia is connected to his grandmother, Mary. Who played Mary Brady in “Sex and the City,” you ask? Ella’s own grandmother, the legendary Jewish actress and comedian Anne Meara.
Let’s all say it together, class: Awwwwwww!
ICYMI, Anne Meara first rose to prominence in the 1960s as part of a comedy duo with her husband Jerry Stiller. Together, they appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the sitcom “Rhoda” and their own syndicated short comedy program immediately following “Saturday Night Live.” Though their careers waned a bit in the ’80s, the pair were thrust back into the spotlight in the ’90s after Jerry began playing Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld.” Afterwards, they co-starred in Joan Micklin Silver’s 1998 comedy “A Fish in the Bathtub,” some episodes of “The King of Queens” and had roles in their son Ben’s films. Anne Meara passed away in 2015, and Jerry Stiller passed away in 2020.
For Ella’s part, she was very close to her grandparents and what they represent for so many people. “My grandpa passed the summer before I started Juilliard. And he was such a Jewish icon and I’m so proud of that,” Ella said on the “Call Time” podcast in 2024. “And I feel so connected to him, and my grandma now, who were such a signifier of what it means to be a Jewish New Yorker.” (Though Meara was born Catholic, she converted to Judaism six years after marrying Jerry Stiller. Following the serious, in-depth study Meara did for her conversion, Jerry apparently once said, “Being married to Anne has made me more Jewish.”)
With the recent cancellation of “And Just Like That…” and the series finale airing this week, it’s unclear just how much more of Mia the shampoo girl we’ll get on screen. But regardless of how you feel about “And Just Like That…”, I think we can all agree that, among a handful of other moments, the “Sex and the City” reboot was absolutely priceless for creating this connection between Ella and her grandma. L’dor, v’dor!
And with that, we’ll leave you with this adorable picture of Ella, her dad and her grandparents:
