At a Glance
- Sarah Jessica Parker accepted the 2026 Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes’ Golden Eve event
- The 60-year-old actress expressed feeling “heartsick” over talented performers who never achieved success
- Parker reflected on her good fortune after decades in the industry
- Why it matters: Her candid comments highlight the unpredictable nature of show business and the role luck plays in success
While accepting the prestigious Carol Burnett Award for television excellence, Sarah Jessica Parker opened up about the bittersweet reality of her remarkable career.
A Night of Reflection
Speaking exclusively to News Of Los Angeles at the Jan. 6 ceremony in Beverly Hills, Parker acknowledged both her achievements and those who weren’t as fortunate.
“I’m feeling good fortune that I was able to sort it all out and carve out a career for myself,” she said. “It’s what I most wanted from the time I was very little.”
The Sex and the City star emphasized that hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success in Hollywood.
“I don’t pretend I didn’t work hard and was dedicated to the point of distraction, perhaps,” she explained. “But I think that I’m always aware that other people worked just as hard and didn’t have that same good fortune.”
Gratitude Mixed With Sorrow
Parker’s acceptance speech revealed the emotional complexity of celebrating personal achievements while acknowledging industry inequalities.
“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, but sometimes I’m a little bit heartsick over those that were really talented [and didn’t make it],” she admitted.
Her career journey began at age 14 when she landed the lead in Broadway’s Annie in 1979. She gained wider recognition through:
- Square Pegs (1982 CBS sitcom)
- Footloose (film)
- Hocus Pocus (film)
- The First Wives Club (film)
The Role That Changed Everything
Parker became a household name as Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s Sex and the City, which premiered in 1998 and ran for six seasons, spawning two feature films and sequel series And Just Like That.
Speaking on the June 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy, she described Carrie as “exciting” to portray.
“First of all, the way she was speaking, like her choice of language, I’d never seen or heard a woman talk like that,” Parker recalled.
She admired the character’s “candor” and “curiosity about sex and sexual politics,” noting it was unlike her own personality.
Key Takeaways
- Parker received the 2026 Carol Burnett Award recognizing outstanding television achievements
- She credits both hard work and luck for her successful career spanning over four decades
- The actress feels “heartsick” about talented performers who never achieved recognition
- Her breakout role in Sex and the City transformed her into a cultural icon
“On a night like tonight, when I’m forced to reflect, I feel incredibly lucky that I got to work on the kind of projects I did,” Parker concluded.
