Chris Noth has maintained his innocence in the face of sexual assault accusations.
Speaking with USA Today, the actor noted that his sole transgression was cheating on his wife. However, he admitted the allegations about him linger.
"I strayed on my wife, and it's devastating to her and not a very pretty picture," he said. "What it isn't is a crime."
In December 2021, two women accused Noth of sexual assault.
The allegations surfaced a week after the premiere of the "Sex and the City" sequel, "And Just Like That," in which Noth's character, John "Mr. Big" Preston, dies of a heart attack.
Three other women subsequently came forward with similar allegations. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon issued a statement saying they supported the women and commended them for coming forward.
Noth faced a number of professional setbacks after the allegations emerged, including the loss of a $12 million deal for his tequila brand, his firing from CBS drama "The Equalizer," his removal from a Peloton ad, being cut from the season finale of "And Just Like That," and being shunned by the industry.
Noth released a statement referring to the incidents as "consensual" and saying that "the accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false."
Speaking with USA Today, Noth stood by his remarks, noting that the worst thing he did was commit adultery.
"You give yourself the same excuses that many men do; it's just a little side dance, and it's fun," he said. "You're not hurting anybody. No one's going to know about this, you know, and sex is just enjoyable. And suddenly, a lot of people want to have sex with you. It's like, Well, I'm not going to get this chance again."
Initially reluctant to speak beyond repeating his previous statement, Noth elaborated to USA Today on the scandal and its effects.
"There's nothing I can say to change anyone's mind when you have that kind of a tidal wave," he said. "It sounds defensive. I'm not. There's no criminal court. There's no criminal trial.
"There's nothing for me to get on the stand about and get my story out, get witnesses. And there's even more absurd add-ons that are completely ridiculous, that have absolutely no basis in fact. And I don't like talking about it because as soon as I do, you'll get the Daily Mail or someone grabbing a part of it and doing it, and I don't want my kids seeing that."
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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