Nearly six years ago—long before Ted Lasso and Severance were part of the pop culture conversation—The Morning Show burst onto the streaming scene as one of Apple TV+’s first offerings. Two of the biggest stars on the planet, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, would helm the prestige drama series described as “a look at the modern workplace through the lens of the people that help wake America up.”
The result was all that and then some, fusing real-time storylines that tackled global issues such as the #MeToo movement and the COVID-19 pandemic with fictional plot points that delved deep into topics anybody with a job could relate to, including ageism and shrewd power dynamics in the workplace. In all, The Morning Show has nabbed 27 Emmy nominations (four of them wins) in just three seasons, along with the honor of being named one of the American Film Institute’s 10 best television programs of 2023.
But the series also knows how to have fun. From musical beds to soapy car accidents off the Italian coastline, the show has never shied away from leaning into the sensationalism that makes the best mass-market dramas hit with audiences. And why should it, when this has so clearly worked? Things will be no different when season four premieres globally on September 17, nearly two years after the events of season three, and the fictional UBA-NBN network merger now complete. (In the third season finale, Aniston’s Alex Levy outmaneuvered her love interest, tech mogul Paul Marks—played by Jon Hamm, to have UBA join forces with rival network NBN.)
Much like the state of news media and its viewers in 2025, The Morning Show will tackle a polarized country, where deepfakes, conspiracy theories, and corporate cover-ups are a reality, and AI is more prevalent than ever. (Of course, there will also be sex and drama; that’s a given.)
New to the show this year is Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard—her second foray into television—as she takes on the role of Celine Dumont, president of the UBN board of directors. Dumont will also cross paths with Karen Pittman’s Mia Jordan, who is back as the executive producer on UBN’s The Morning Show.
Pittman—who earned her first Emmy nomination for her role in season three, and also earned accolades this year for her turn as Dawn Edwards in Mara Brock Akil’s reimagining of the 1975 Judy Blume novel, Forever, on Netflix—teases that Mia will step into her villain era this season. “She decides to stiffen her spine and go for it,” Pittman says. “What makes Mia such an interesting woman is that she embodies the principles we see in Black women [like] strength and nobility and elegance. She’s erudite in how she articulates her feelings and the feelings of others.”
Much like Pittman’s Mia, Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson will also go through a transition period this season. Viewers last saw the former Morning Show co-anchor about to turn herself in to the FBI for protecting her brother in the wake of the January 6 insurrection. No major spoilers here, but everybody loves a comeback—and Bradley has never been one to fade into obscurity.
“This has been the longest job I’ve had in entertainment, ever,” Witherspoon says of playing her alter ego. “That's really different for me, but I feel that we’re really touching on a lot of really important topics that are on people’s minds…and then getting to work with the greatest actors.”
As an executive producer of The Morning Show under her Hello Sunshine production banner, the Oscar winner credits her behind-the-scenes role with keeping her creatively fulfilled onscreen. “I really loved being ‘just’ an actor for 15 years, but then transitioning into producing has really aligned me with my purpose in life, which is to help women tell their stories in their own words on every platform. It’s energizing.”
It’s a sentiment that costar Nicole Beharie appreciates, especially as the youngest in this particular group of women, which also includes beloved returning cast member, Greta Lee.
“Can we talk about that for a second and celebrate that we’re actually on a show where the 40-year-old is the baby of the group?” the Julliard Drama grad says. “I feel like you’re told in this business that once you hit 40, you’re done or it just gets a lot less interesting. But director Mimi Leder, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt, and Jen, and Reese are [proving otherwise].”
Beharie, who earned her first Emmy nomination in season three for portraying Christina Hunter, a retired track and field Olympian who becomes the new cohost of the fictional Morning Show, says Chris is also a different person this season.
“Her journey is very much about what parenthood means in a professional space, and the sacrifices that may come with it,” she says. “And I think in this environment that we’re living in politically, having discussions around what women have to go through to navigate these spaces is definitely worth discussing, like what you have to hide, how you present yourself, or how much time your children and spouse get or don’t get.”
Of course, how women navigate these spaces starts at the top, and Cotillard, Pittman, and Beharie credit Witherspoon and Aniston, also an executive producer, for creating an environment that allows them to be present and at ease.
“Jen is such a beautiful soul, always taking care of people around her,” Cotillard says of her new costar, whom she first crossed paths with during her first awards season in Los Angeles some 18 years ago. “I really, really enjoyed getting to work with her and hang out. Jen and Reese are very supportive women.”
It’s evident in the middle of this Glamour cover shoot when suddenly Cotillard’s eyes begin watering from a reaction. Before her makeup artist can come to the rescue, Aniston helps her costar keep any tears from ruining her makeup. Minutes later, when the wind machine blows Aniston’s perfectly styled hair slightly out of place, it’s Cotillard who immediately fixes her hair.
Aniston is first to admit that creating that kind of nurturing and protective environment, especially on a production that’s as fast-paced and intense as The Morning Show, isn’t by accident.
“Every year since I finished the first season, I was like, Well, that’s it—I’m dead. That just killed me,” she says of playing Alex Levy, the quick-witted host of Alex Unfiltered and head of talent for UBN. “And then you forget. I kind of compare it to what childbirth must be like when my friends are like, ‘You just kind of forget what it was, and then next thing you know you’re knocked up again.’”
But the Emmy winner (for her iconic role as Rachel Green on Friends in 2002) says the key is trusting one another, especially when it comes to delegating tasks. “Reese will say, ‘You take this one. I trust you in this department.’ Or vice versa. The beauty of the ego is so minimal [on this production], so when she has a true concern and it’s been said more than once, everyone listens. It’s a really good environment.”
This trust has allowed for more honest conversations with each other, whether it be about aging in the public eye (“the pressure is so hard on actresses,” Cotillard says), the unglamorous parts of the business (“I wish people asked us more about what it takes to make it at the level you’re at,” Witherspoon admits), or being unapologetic about what you want (Pittman on all the recent opportunities coming her way). It’s why we couldn’t think of a more fascinating and established group of women to share the personal stories they don’t often talk about for Glamour’s global September cover. Let us reintroduce you to the women of The Morning Show.
Jennifer Aniston
Glamour: There’s a great line in episode three of the new season where your character, Alex, is at an event with Aaron Pierre’s character, Miles, who makes a comment that red carpets are where everyone wants you to die. And Alex responds by saying, “So it’s like a regular red carpet then.” How do you feel about red carpets?
Jennifer Aniston: I don’t feel that way. Some people find it like a sport where they build you up and then they love to tear you down. What’s the reason why people do it? Who knows? But I just try as best I can [to tune it out] because it doesn’t do you any good.
It made me think about the Met Gala. I’m sure you’ve been invited, but you’ve never gone. Why?
Yes, I have [been invited], but I don’t go. It overwhelms me. It’s the getting ready, the putting on the dress. I’m a “jeans and flip-flops and tank top” kind of girl. I love dressing up too, but for me it’s a mental game of…“Let’s get dressed up, put on a fancy dress, makeup, get your hair all ‘purdy’ and go sit in a big room with your peers.” [And yes,] everyone’s there to celebrate each other and have some fun, but I get nervous. I even get a little anxious about public speaking, especially over the years of having your words twisted and taken out of context. So I find myself almost hall-monitoring myself in a weird way. In the past, journalism used to be gnarly and they wanted to just get you and find something that they can then run forever. But whatever. You get to a place in life where none of it really matters at the end of the day.
In regard to The Morning Show, what lessons have you learned about yourself during these past seven years?
That I absolutely love producing and being that involved from the ground up in creating something that’s really high quality. [I’ve learned] that women are beyond capable to make great television and produce a show with elegance and grace and kindness to one another. And we trust one another. When one of us has to work and put ourselves in front of the camera, you trust the others are going to pick up the ball and take care of the other end of it. I’ve also learned that there are places I can go in my creative self that I probably didn’t know that I could, that have allowed me that challenge to push my limits.
Would you want The Morning Show to continue for more seasons? I know it’s a grind.
I don’t know. Every year since I finished the first season, I was like, Well, that’s it—I”m dead. That just killed me. And then you forget. I kind of compare it to what childbirth must be like when my friends are like, “You just kind of forget what it was, and then next thing you know you’re knocked up again.” And having that same agony of pushing that watermelon out of a tiny little pinhole and then you just get to do it again. So I do feel there’s something extraordinary about finishing a season and not saying those words of, “I’m done.” And just knowing that you’ve got to decompress and walk away from it for a while, and in my case, go do a comedy as fast as possible.
You and Reese have known each other for years, and you work so closely on this show. Do you have a text chain going all the time, even when you’re not filming?
That little worker bee. She’s so busy. We always throw out texts to each other throughout the year when we’re not working just to check in on each other. She splits her time between [Nashville] and Los Angeles. But [our relationship] is like secondhand. She’s just a sister from another mister in that way, and we trust each other. She’ll say, “You take this one. I trust you in this department.” Or vice versa. The beauty of the ego is so minimal [on this production], and we really trust each other. It’s a really good environment, and that’s why it makes me sad to think of it going away or completing itself. At some point it’s going to have to because the world’s getting too scary to kind of replicate in a series format.
Found family and sisterhood is something we celebrate a lot at Glamour. And when I was talking to Marion Cotillard about her upcoming 50th birthday, she referenced you as someone who has empowered her about this new decade, noting, “I think about all these women that I admire and who have evolved and aged so gracefully…because you have no choice but to accept this.”
That means so much to me. We didn’t have that [those kind of role models growing up]. And I think as far as aging gracefully, I have an eternal fountain of optimism and positivity. Call it youth if you want. But I think it all starts with how we love our bodies and love where we are. I’m not going to say I don’t get the facials and the lasers and all that good stuff. I mean, I’m maintained. I’m not going to just go down and let these gray hairs take over. So its perspective, and also knowing that this is our one body. It’s a mindset. So it means a lot to me to hear that from Marion, who I think is a walking beam of sunshine and love and beauty and talent.
Reese Witherspoon
Your character, Bradley, often acts before thinking things through. What’s been the most fulfilling and challenging parts of playing her on The Morning Show?
Reese Witherspoon: Bradley is very different from me. She’s skeptical, she’s truth-seeking and really direct and blunt with people. So, sometimes, I find her abrasive. But it’s also fun to escape my own personality and be that person who says the true thing…who has sort of foot-and-mouth problems where she’s always saying the wrong thing instead of trying to make everybody happy.
In my interview with Jennifer Aniston, she said, “Reese and I trust each other. She’ll say, ‘You take this one. I trust you in this department.’ Or vice versa. The ego is so minimal on this set. So, when anybody has a true concern…everybody listens.”
Yes, and it took us four seasons to get to that place, too. Season one, season two, we were all finding each other’s work rhythms. It’s a very respectful work dynamic, though, because there’s so much female leadership. We really share the decision-making. But she’s right. We concede to each other a lot because we have a lot of respect for each other. It’s fun to do scenes where she and I are arguing with each other, and we can really push the boundaries because we’re so close and in sync in real life.
Things are always changing in the entertainment industry. How do you not burn out?
I’m a very hard worker, and I like to change and adapt to new structures and new environments. I’m always looking forward to how media is evolving and how I can help be part of bringing women along in those emerging industries. And now we’re doing it with AI. It’s so, so important that women are involved in AI…because it will be the future of filmmaking. And you can be sad and lament it all you want, but the change is here. It will never be a lack of creativity and ingenuity and actual physical manual building of things. It might diminish, but it’s always going to be the highest importance in art and in expression of self.
How do you use AI?
I use AI everyday. I use search tools, like Perplexity, every day. I use Vetted AI. Like, if you’re buying a blender, it’ll show you six different blenders and also recommend the best product. I use AI Assistant. Simple AI is an AI assistant that can be really helpful for anyone out there who doesn’t want to have to make a doctor’s appointment because you don’t want to sit on hold or deal with the problems of navigating hospital systems. It’s an incredible tool to save time.
When it’s so easy to use AI to do things, how do you still show up for your friends in a way that feels very real and present?
Friendships are hard. I read a lot about third spaces, so not where you work, not where you live, but somewhere you go to have community, whether that’s a dance class, a bookstore, or a creative class. That’s a huge part of my life. At our office, we have creative classes like cooking or mah-jongg or Enneagram classes. I find that people need that third space to make friends. And I think that’s going to be a big important part of social development and community development over the years.
And then for my own friends, I check in [a lot]. I FaceTime my friends probably every day or every other day. Along with exercise, I have to talk to my friends 30 minutes a day. I’m either squeezing it in between other things or it’s part of my morning. After I do school drop-off, I call a friend or I call my mom.
Instagram content
You’ve done thousands of interviews over the years. Is there something you wish the media would ask you about more?
The fact that we’ve just covered AI, the discipline it takes to succeed in our business, and more, we’ve covered a broader scope than I normally cover in any interview. I think for people like Jennifer and I…I wish people asked this more, like, “What are the unglamorous parts of your business that you deal with every day?” or, “What does it take to make it to the level that you’re at?” Because it’s not a mistake. It’s a lot of incredible hard work and compromise that gets us to these places. And compromise is as important as hard work. Mindy Kaling is a wonderful example of that. Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Eva Longoria, America Ferrara, Natalie Portman, Lena Waithe. These are women I talk to all the time about how they navigate the changing dynamics in our business.
You’re asked to do so much, to show up for so many people and causes and events, and you just can’t do it all. How do you say no without feeling guilty?
Mom guilt is very real. I just want to acknowledge that. I have it all the time. Whenever I’m working, I feel like I should be doing something for one of my kids. I feel like I’m constantly balancing work priorities and my kids, and I do think it’s a dance, but I will say my mother created a beautiful example for me. She was a nurse, and her job was important to her. And she didn’t feel bad about going to work. She felt empowered. She had purpose in her life. And her work was important. I mean, she was saving people’s lives.
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Karen Pittman
Your character on The Morning Show, Mia, learns to choose herself this season. How did you relate to her storyline?
When we start seeing her in season four, she’s in that place of, “I have to transition into something different,” with her hand out, and it gets slapped away, and she decides that she’s no longer going to wait for someone to link arms with her and that she’s going to be a soldier of one. Who knew during that period that we were filming that we were going to be in the place where we are [now]? It does feel very much like we are individuals in our particular war against feminism in this particular time.
So it’s interesting to portray a character who isn’t just running up against the system that exists at UBN, but she also is running up against other women. She takes people to task for their lack of strategic motivation to get things done. She literally is in a tussle with everyone.
How has The Morning Show changed your life, both personally and professionally?
You look around and see these people you’ve built relationships with, not just on camera, but off. We went through the pandemic together as a group. For me personally, I’ve learned so much about what it takes to be in a group of actors and be truly vulnerable, to trust them every step of the way as you create a character. I’ve learned what it means to assert myself in the midst of an ensemble, to step forward.
[Professionally], it’s made me more artistically inclined, watching Jen and Reese develop stories of their own on other networks and with other production companies. You just have to have the courage and the motivation and the confidence to do it, because if they can do it, you can do it. The little trick that no one tells you is that you don’t have to be a special person to be successful. You just have to work hard and have a good strategy.
I can’t help but notice your Emmy nomination certificate on the wall. Maybe you were always like, “I knew I could do this,” but have those nominations given you a newfound confidence?
It certainly did, especially now. There are so many shows that come out, and so many actors in SAG, and even a smaller portion of actors who get nominated for anything. It’s an acknowledgement of excellence which is extraordinarily meaningful to me. But it’s no fun to do it on your own. What was most meaningful to me is when we as an ensemble were recognized. Television is a collaborative art. You can’t do it without someone holding up a camera, and you can’t do it without talking to someone across the camera too.
How has being on this show changed your view of the media?
I was reading this article that Megyn Kelly did in The New York Times where she was talking about her own journey as a journalist and how once she got to a certain level, it was important for people to know what she thought and what her own perspective on the stories were that she was telling, which is why she decided to endorse our now president Trump. I’ve seen that shift happen over the last seven years while I’ve been on The Morning Show. [Years ago], you did not hear what a journalist actually believed, and you didn’t hear it in the tone that they were presenting. Journalistic integrity was that they did not insert themselves and their own personal thoughts and ideas about the news they were providing to their audience.
I’m not a fan of Megyn Kelly, but I thought she was very insightful in that she said there’s such a thin line now between TV news personalities and the actual news. She decided that it was part of her “brand” to present the news and her thoughts behind it. I don’t know if I agree with her personally about her thoughts, but I do recognize that the news industry has changed significantly. There’s more personality and persona in the news that we get now, more than ever. I think The Morning Show has shifted so that we do see that in the characters that we present.
[But] journalistic integrity and a free press is more important than ever. It’s very hard for me to trust where I get my news now. If I don’t actually read it or if I don’t actually see the interview, it’s very hard for me to believe what I’m reading. There’s just so much gossip, fodder, innuendo in our news now. I’ve seen all of those changes happen, and I pay very close attention to it.
Marion Cotillard
What did the experience of being on The Morning Show teach you?
I discovered I could adapt pretty quickly to any kind of situation. It was a good thing to experience something I had never done before and to overcome the anxiety and to find the joy from working. I was able to adapt to situations I was not used to experiencing. I’m so nervous all the time when I start a new project. I think that’s why we prepare a lot…because there’s always a part of you that is kind of doubting or insecure about how you’re going to be able to do this.
You’re about to turn 50. Do you make any sort of resolutions or set goals going into this new decade?
When I turned 40, I really didn’t care. But this one is a big number. I don’t have any kind of resolution [because] I think it’s a process that is continuously evolving with me and my experiences as a woman in this world. I’m very lucky to have a really beautiful life, beautiful kids, beautiful relationships, and healthy people around me. We support each other through joy and pain, and that’s the most important thing to me.
A lot of my friends are turning 50 this year, so we’re supporting each other in this. I’m also inspired by women over 50. I think Jen Aniston is such an inspiring woman, and it makes me feel good about entering this new decade. When it’s kind of scary sometimes, I think about all these women that I admire and who have evolved and aged so gracefully, accepting what [it means to age], because you have no choice but to accept this. I’m not trying to fight against it because it’s useless. It’ll never get you anywhere.
What does aging gracefully mean to you?
I think it’s being connected to yourself. I didn’t know myself when I was 30, even 40, and it’s not about a physical thing at all. I think it’s really freeing yourself from your own prison, living with yourself without judging yourself too much because it doesn’t lead you anywhere. Questioning yourself is important, which I do constantly. Sometimes allowing myself not to question too much also is part of this process of accepting everything that I have and that I am. It allows me to connect to people more and to not judge myself too harshly and not judge other people because you never know what they go through. It also allows me to have a more open mind and heart.
So I think that’s it: aging gracefully is not judging yourself or others too much. It’s freeing yourself from the judgments. I think when you manage to free yourself of the traumas, to free what keeps you from doing things, that’s what aging gracefully is.
How do you think people view aging differently in the United States versus in Europe?
I don’t think it’s about the country or the culture. It depends on what industry you work in. And the cinema industry is very hard on women physically. But I always remind myself that even if we live in a very violent world, we still have the freedom that other countries don’t have. We still have a long way to go, especially as women, to accept this phase in our life. The good thing is there are more and more female directors, and that opens more and more roles for all generations. I will never judge anyone who tries to stay young. I don’t think we should judge a woman who does things not to look her age. I don’t care. If she feels good about it, let her be. And we’re lucky today to have the opportunity to tell stories of women at any age, because a woman at any age is so interesting and has so much to say.
Nicole Beharie
You joined The Morning Show in season three, and not only is it a new experience for you, but you’re working alongside people like Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. What advice, if any, have you sought from your costars?
I’ve asked questions about legal matters. And while we were at the photo shoot, I was asking Jen about supplements and doctors and things like that. We don’t have a lot of time to talk about that on set, but seeing people take care of themselves and look amazing [is important to me]. We all look the same age, so I want to know what someone’s doing. I also want to know what they’re producing, what scripts they’re reading. Reese and Jen have all those balls in the air with their production companies, and there’s a lot to learn there.
Plus, the way they create the tone for the set…if you’ve got an idea, they let you try something, and that doesn’t always happen in something as large as this. Jen and Reese want women to thrive and live.
What’s in store for your character, Chris, this season that excited you or challenged you?
I have a big place in my heart for working moms, and Chris’s journey is very much about what parenthood means in a professional space, and the sacrifices that may come with it. And I think that in this environment that we’re living in politically, having discussions around what women have to go through to navigate these spaces is definitely worth discussing—like what you have to hide, how you present yourself, or how much time your children and spouse get or don’t get.
Chris is trying to figure that out in real time, out loud. And even for people who aren’t mothers, I think there will be a connection with this because it’s just a part of our rights as women.
We talk a lot at Glamour about sisterhood and found family. What are the ways you show up for your own friends?
I still write letters to my friends, because we don’t get anything in the mail anymore that’s not a bill or spam. I send random flowers to check in on people because I’m an East Coast girly shooting in LA. I’m like the Instacart queen too. I’ll Instacart something to someone’s house if someone’s not feeling well. And then when I’m nearby, I pop in when I know I can. This is the Southern, West Indian side of me. That’s how I was raised. My friends will always be like, “What? No, I look terrible,” and then they’ll open the door and we’ll have the best day. That’s how we show up as sisters.
How has being a part of The Morning Show changed your perspective on the media, especially when you go into interviews? Has it made you more skeptical? More understanding?
I don’t think it’s changed my opinion at all. In season three, [I was asked a lot] about race and representation, and it’s a conversation that needs to be had, but it’s also exciting to talk about other things. No one has ever asked me how I’ve changed from season three to season four, and you did. So that’s cool.
Photographer: Charlotte Hadden @charlottehadden
Sittings Editor/Global Fashion Director: Tchesmeni Leonard @tchesmeni
Stylist (Witherspoon): Petra Flannery @petraflannery
Stylist (Aniston): Ryan Hastings
Stylist (Beharie): Wayman + Micah @waymanandmicah
Stylist (Pittman & Cotillard ): Deborah Afshani @deborahafshani
Hair (RW): Lona Vigi @lonavigi
Makeup (RW): Tracey Levy @muatraceylevy
Hair (JA): Chris McMillan @mrchrismcmillan
Makeup (JA): Angela Levin @angelalevinmakeup
Hair (NB): Nena Melendez @ladysoulfly
Makeup (NB): Alana Palau @alanapalaumakeup
Hair (MC): Adir Abergel @hairbyadir
Makeup (MC): Kate Lee @kateleemakeup
Hair (KP): Marcia Hamilton @marciahamiltonhair
Makeup (KP): Sean Harris @seanharrismakeup
Nails (MC): Miwa Kobayashi @miwanails
Nails (KP): Yoko Sakakura @nails_by_yoko
Set Design: Bette Adams @betteradams
Producer: Anthony Federici/Petty Cash @petty_cash_production
Lead photo credits:
On NB: Brunello Cucinelli shirt; Miss Claire Sullivan corset pants; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes; Tiffany & Co. jewelry. On JA: Tom Ford suit and shoes; Saint Laurent bodysuit; Jennifer Meyer jewelry. On RW: McQueen suit; Dolce & Gabbana bodysuit; Hermes belt; Christian Louboutin shoes; Tiffany & Co. ring; Jenny Bird earrings. On KP: Dolce & Gabbana suit; Thom Browne shoes; Bulgari jewelry. On MC: Chanel dress; Manolo Blahnik shoes; Chanel Fine Jewelry earrings.
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