Chris Noth breaks silence on abuse allegations: 'I'm not going to lay down and just say it's over'

In his only interview since being accused of sexual assaults, Chris Noth maintains his sole transgression was cheating on his wife.

Though he’d like people to believe that and to resume his career, Noth knows ugly allegations about him linger.

"I strayed on my wife, and it's devastating to her and not a very pretty picture," he says. "What it isn't is a crime."

The story about two women’s sexual assault accusations against the actor surfaced in December 2021, a week after the premiere of Max's "And Just Like That," the sequel to "Sex and the City," in which his character, Carrie Bradshaw's husband John "Mr. Big" Preston, dies of a heart attack. Another three women came forward, saying he also assaulted them. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon issued a statement saying they supported and commended the women for coming forward.

Noth lost a $12 million deal for his tequila brand, was fired from CBS drama "The Equalizer," was dropped from a Peloton ad, was cut from the season finale of "And Just Like That" and was shunned by the industry.

As of today, the actor, 68, has a new venture. He’s the face of Samuelsohn, a bespoke suit company launching a campaign to raise awareness about men’s mental health. This interview stems from his role in the campaign, for which he is being paid in clothes, not cash. Samuelsohn has pledged donations to men's mental health. More than 6 million men in the U.S. suffer from depression, according to Mental Health America.

Noth stands by his initial statement that any sexual encounters he was involved in were consensual and says 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 says. "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.'"

No criminal charges have been filed. That’s hardly an anomaly: The National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimates that 63% of rapes are not reported to police. Gloria Allred, the lawyer representing some of the women, declined to comment for this story.

Still, this isn’t going away. Noth acknowledges that civil lawsuits remain a distinct possibility.

"That's a money train for a lot of people," he says.

Although Noth initially didn't want to comment beyond repeating his original statement, he elaborates for the first time on the scandal and its effects. The allegations from women in Los Angeles and New York date back to 2004.

"There's nothing I can say to change anyone's mind when you have that kind of a tidal wave," Noth says. "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."

Over Zoom from Toronto, Samuelsohn CEO Stephen Granovsky explains the concept behind the mental health campaign and choosing Noth.

"When we embarked on how to celebrate our hundredth birthday, we wanted to do it with purpose," Granovsky says. "We really believe in our people feeling good about what they're doing and our customers feeling good about what they're wearing. And frankly, when it comes to us, it's really about how it fits and making you feel comfortable in your own skin, and that goes a long way to giving you the confidence to do so much."

As for the actor, "there just isn't another character in modern times that looks better, feels better, is more proud to wear a suit than Chris was in 'Sex and the City,'" Granovsky says. "Today, many years later, he looks every bit as good. He wears it with such confidence and such pride that I'm proud to have him wear the suit."

Noth, wearing a blue Samuelsohn suit at a SoHo hotel restaurant this summer, says he has laid low because he's intent on protecting his sons and wife. The 3-year-old is too young to understand what has happened, which Noth describes as "being slimed." He has had heart-to-heart talks with his 15-year-old. Since the allegations and fallout, Noth says, he has tended to his mental health by spending time with his family, hiking and meditating.

Before playing Carrie Bradshaw's Mr. Big and Alicia Florrick's philandering husband on CBS drama "The Good Wife," Noth was Mike Logan, the hard-boiled detective on NBC's "Law & Order." He also appeared on several other shows produced by Dick Wolf, another person Noth says he hasn't heard from since the accusations surfaced.

A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Noth has acted in many plays, including two on Broadway. He's now directing and performing in Ionesco’s "Rhinoceros" at a theater in Massachusetts' Berkshire mountains area.

"I'm not going to lay down and just say it's over," he says. "It's a salacious story, but it's just not a true one. And I can't just say 'Well, OK, that's it for me' because of that. I'm an actor. I have other things that I want to do creatively. And I have children to support. I can't just rest on my laurels. So yeah, I have enough to let a year drift, but I don't know how to gauge or judge getting back into the club, the business, because corporations are frightened.

"People are afraid of all this. Fear is the overriding operative word when it comes to whether they believe it or not. ... I have to just continue on. It's rough, because people are scared, and their fear leads them. And I have to just persevere because I still have a creative life."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Noth, 'Sex and the City' star, talks about sex abuse allegations