Next-Gen Spotlight: Ella Stiller Follows Grandma Anne Meara to And Just Like That
Hello, I’m Jordan Collins. I guess I can simplify this for you. Ella Stiller has made her And Just Like That debut on the July 31 episode, carrying on a family tradition that began more than 20 years ago when her grandmother Anne Meara joined the original Sex and the City cast.
In Season 3’s “Better Than Sex,” Ella, age 23, appears as Mia, the pregnant girlfriend of Brady Hobbes, played by Niall Cunningham. In a scene that surprised Miranda and Steve’s son, Brady admits he’s only “hooked up” with Mia a handful of times and doesn’t even know her last name. This storyline mirrors the classic Sex and the City twist, but with a new generation in the spotlight.
Ella’s entry into the SATC universe echoes her paternal grandmother’s role. Anne Meara portrayed Mary Brady during Seasons 5 and 6 of Sex and the City back in the early 2000s. Meara, who died in 2015 at age 85, was not only the mother of Ben Stiller but also half of the legendary comedy duo Stiller and Meara with her husband, Jerry Stiller. Anne’s resume included appearances in films such as Reality Bites and Night at the Museum, plus TV credits on Murphy Brown and Murder, She Wrote.
Meanwhile, Ella’s mother, Christine Taylor, revealed earlier this year on Kristin Davis’s SATC rewatch podcast Are You a Charlotte? that her first date with Ben Stiller felt like a real-life Carrie and Big moment. Taylor laughed that Ben was already famous thanks to There’s Something About Mary but still charmingly unnoticed enough to slip in and out of the night without massive crowds.
Ben Stiller himself hinted that Ella and her younger brother Quinlin, 20, could shape his own future projects. In a November conversation with E! News, he said both kids are “really good” actors and he’d love to work under their direction one day. “I think eventually they’ll probably be directing and producing stuff that I’ll be asking them to cast me in,” Stiller added with a self-aware grin.
And Just Like That showrunner Michael Patrick King confirmed that the series will conclude its run with Season 3. King posted on X that while the show wasn’t canceled, this felt like the perfect narrative endpoint for Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and the rest of the gang’s ongoing journey.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who has embodied Carrie Bradshaw for 27 years, shared a heartfelt Instagram message as the show wraps up. Parker reflected on Carrie’s cross-city adventures, romantic highs and lows, and unwavering devotion to New York City, thanking the “extraordinary talent of 380” who joined the revival.
So there you have it – Ella Stiller has stepped into the SATC world, honoring her grandmother’s legacy while forging her own path. Glad I could clear that up for you.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, E! News, Are You a Charlotte podcast, X, Instagram
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
