Northwestern celebrates 22 years as a top Fulbright producer
February 4, 2026
Actor, producer and entrepreneur Sarah Jessica Parker will address Northwestern’s Class of 2026 at the University’s 168th Commencement on Sunday, June 14 at the United Center in Chicago. Parker also will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts at the ceremony, which will begin at 10:30 a.m.
In a career spanning more than five decades, Parker is best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the critically acclaimed television series “Sex and the City.” The show cemented her presence as a fashion and pop culture icon — one who has channeled her immense talent and influence to elevate the arts and the voices of underrepresented people around the world through story.
“Sarah Jessica Parker has been a strong supporter of the arts and humanities for many years, and I am thrilled she will be our commencement speaker,” said Interim President Henry S. Bienen. “From starring in and producing film, television and theatre productions to her successful business ventures, Sarah’s iconic and versatile career speaks to the interdisciplinary approach we value and champion at Northwestern. I look forward to hearing her address our Class of 2026.”
“I’m truly honored to have been invited to serve as this year’s commencement speaker,” Parker said. “It’s a privilege to celebrate a graduating class whose years of hard work, dedication to their studies, commitment to one another, their community and the larger world deserve real recognition.
“I’m very much looking forward to addressing the Class of 2026 as they step into what I know will be an exciting and promising future. Congratulations to the graduates, it will be a thrill to celebrate your achievement.”
As Carrie Bradshaw, Parker captivated legions and powered “Sex and the City” through six seasons, two movies and three seasons of the spinoff series “And Just Like That.” She won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Emmy Awards for her role as Bradshaw.
On the big screen, Parker recently starred alongside Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy in “Hocus Pocus 2,” an American fantasy comedy and the sequel to the 1993 film “Hocus Pocus,” in which Parker captivated audiences with her witty and quirky performance.
Parker’s television credits include: “Equal Justice” and “Square Pegs.” Other past film credits include “Extreme Measures,” “If Lucy Fell,” “Til There Was You,” “L.A. Story,” “I Don't Know How She Does It,” “Smart People,” “Failure to Launch,” “The Family Stone” and many more.
Parker debuted in 1976 on Broadway in “The Innocents,” directed by Harold Pinter, and went on to earn other Broadway credits including the title role in “Annie,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Once Upon a Mattress.” She was most recently seen on stage opposite her husband, Matthew Broderick, in the revival of Neil Simon’s comedy play, “Plaza Suite,” which has become the third highest-grossing play revival in Broadway history.
Parker also works behind the scenes and in business, creating an award-winning collection of wines in partnership with New Zealand-based Invivo & Co and the top-selling fragrance “Lovely.”
She launched the award-winning production company Pretty Matches Productions in 2005, which produces scripted and unscripted television as well as narrative and documentary feature films such as HBO’s “Divorce,” in which Parker starred for three seasons and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. Recently she executive produced “The Librarians,” which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and made the 2026 BAFTA longlist in the documentary category.
Parker served on the 2025 judging panel for the Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. She additionally serves as Honorary Chair of the American Library Association's Central Book Club, an online reading resource platform, and as a board member of the nonprofit organization United for Libraries.
In 2023, Parker launched SJP Lit, her own imprint in partnership with independent publisher Zando, dedicated to publishing thought-provoking, big-hearted stories inclusive of international and underrepresented voices. Titles published under the imprint included Mai Sennaar’s “They Dream in Gold,” Alina Grabowski’s “Women and Children First,” Elysha Chang’s “A Quitter’s Paradise,” and Kim Coleman Foote’s “Coleman Hill.”
Prior to SJP Lit, Parker served as editorial director of the literary imprint SJP for Hogarth, where she published the New York Times bestseller and Desmond Elliott Prize winner “A Place for Us” by Fatima Farheen Mirza; “Golden Child” by Claire Adam, shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, and the McKitterick Prize, and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the Jhalak Prize; and “Dawn,” the critically acclaimed story collection by jailed Turkish politician and human rights lawyer Selahattin Demirtaş, shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Parker also currently serves as a vice chairman of the Board of Directors for the New York City Ballet. In November 2009, the Obama administration elected her to be a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Parker recently became a member of The Partnership for New York City, a 501(c) organization dedicated to building partnerships between businesses and government to strengthen New York City.
Parker was honored with the Golden Globe Foundation’s prestigious Carol Burnett Award in 2026, recognizing her outstanding contributions to television.
Northwestern will announce the complete class of honorary degree recipients in the coming days.
