For most people, watching the morning news is part of a daily routine. For Jennifer Aniston, playing a morning news anchor for years on The Morning Show has given her a deep appreciation for the people who bring us the news every day. The star reveals that her role as Alex Levy on the Apple TV+ drama changed how she sees the entire profession, especially the hosts who wake up long before the sun.
Jennifer Aniston’s Newfound Respect for the Newsroom
In a recent interview, Jennifer Aniston opened up about how working on The Morning Show since 2019 has profoundly shaped her view of journalism. She stated, “I have the utmost respect for journalists. I mean, I always have – but even more so now. Especially morning anchors.” She went on to describe the demanding nature of their work, simply calling it “a grind.”
Aniston has played the ambitious anchor Alex Levy for close to a decade. What started as a acting role has become an education in the challenges and pressures faced by real-life journalists. The show itself is known for weaving in real-world events, from the Me Too movement to the COVID-19 pandemic, mirroring the complex issues real news organizations cover.
The Exhausting Reality of Making The Morning Show
The respect Aniston gained did not come easily. The process of making the show has been described as incredibly demanding. Aniston has previously compared the annual exhaustion of finishing a season to childbirth, noting how you somehow forget the pain and come back to do it again.
“Every year since I finished the first season, I was like, Well, that’s it — I’m dead. That just killed me,” she told Glamour. She elaborated with the analogy, “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.’”
Beyond the acting, her responsibilities as an executive producer alongside Reese Witherspoon add to the workload. She confirmed that the show is a beast to film, describing it as “layered, it’s complicated, it’s emotional, it hits on a lot of topics and current events.” She was sure to point out, “let’s just say, it’s not Friends.”
A Show That Mirrors Our World
The Morning Show has built its reputation on tackling contemporary issues. The series premiered in 2019 with a storyline centered on a sexual misconduct scandal at the fictional UBA network, echoing real-life events in the media industry. Since then, subsequent seasons have covered topics like school shootings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and power struggles in corporate media.
This commitment to timeliness continues in the newest season. The show is now taking on the challenges of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of deepfake technology, issues that Aniston and Witherspoon have personally encountered with their own likenesses being stolen online.
Witherspoon, who plays impulsive reporter Bradley Jackson, explained the show’s mission: “We talk about the rise of the individual journalist or the rise of the individual voice. We deal with the manosphere, all the bro podcasters, people having a really strong influence over listeners.” She expressed pride in how the show has “chartred so many different cultural movements from ‘MeToo’ to being woke to now, the anti-woke movement.”
What’s Happening in Season Four
Season 4 of The Morning Show premiered on September 17, 2025. The new season picks up with the aftermath of the merger between UBA and a rival network, forcing the characters into new roles and challenges. Aniston’s character, Alex Levy, is now in a high-level position in the corporate suite, learning that power comes with its own set of difficult decisions.
“Alex is now in the position of greater power in the C-Suite and she’s realizing what a cutthroat experience that is…be careful what you wish for,” Aniston teased. She added that this season explores how “corruption does not know gender,” as Alex grapples with internal conflicts.
The season also sees the return of Bradley Jackson to the news desk after she avoided prison by making a deal with the FBI in Season 3. Witherspoon warned that her character continues to be her own worst enemy, saying, “She’s a self-sabotage.” She promised a “crazy ending to this season” that will surprise viewers.
The show, which has already been renewed for a fifth season, continues to be a top performer for Apple TV+.
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