Jason Lewis, the former Sex and the City heartthrob who once had fans swooning as Smith Jerrod, has finally resurfaced after more than three years away from the spotlight — and he returned with a mysterious message that immediately got people talking.
The 54-year-old actor popped back up on Instagram Wednesday with a beachside video, showing himself walking along the sand as he explained why he suddenly disappeared from public life.
“I went quiet,” Lewis said in the clip. “Not because I have nothing to say, but because I had something to do.”
For fans who have wondered where he has been, the message only added to the intrigue.
Lewis did not reveal exactly what he has been working on, but he hinted that it has consumed much of his life behind the scenes.
“The kind of creative work that doesn’t leave room for much else, and I made my peace with that,” he said. “It’s the kind of work that needs to find its people, though.”
The actor added that he is “still in it,” but far enough along that he felt ready to step back into public view.
In the caption, he kept things just as mysterious, writing simply: “After three years, it was time.”
Lewis was last seen in the public eye in 2022, when he competed on Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd, but the pair’s ballroom run ended quickly when they became the first couple eliminated.
At the time, Lewis admitted the show was a big leap for him. He said his fiancée, actress Liz Godwin, helped convince him to finally take the offer after he had passed on it in the past.
“This year, when the offer came in, my fiancée asked me to be a little less pigheaded and at least take a look at a show,” he told People.
After watching an episode with her, Lewis said he was impressed by the production and the talent.
Still, his time on the show was not easy. After his elimination, he described the experience as “challenging” and “a little scary,” but said he was grateful to be part of it.
For longtime Sex and the City fans, Lewis will always be remembered as Smith Jerrod, the gorgeous young model who became Samantha Jones’ unlikely love interest.
He played the role opposite Kim Cattrall from 2003 to 2004 on the hit HBO series, then returned for the 2008 Sex and the City movie and the 2010 sequel.
But when the franchise came back as And Just Like That, Lewis was not included.
Before the sequel series premiered in 2021, Lewis said he had not been contacted about appearing.
“I would be the last to know!” he told the Daily Front Row at the time.
“As much as I appreciate the flattery, the conversation is about the girls,” he added.
His last acting role was in the NBC supernatural drama Midnight, Texas, which aired in 2018.
Now, after years of silence, Lewis appears to be teasing something new — but he is keeping fans guessing for now.
And judging by the cryptic tone of his comeback, the former Sex and the City star may be preparing for a very different next chapter.
