The Morning Show is an Emmy-winning drama series that follows the lives of people behind a popular morning news program. The Apple TV+ series starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston tackles real-life events. Because of this, many have been asking, “Is The Morning Show based on a true story?” Here’s what we know.
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What Is The Morning Show Based On?
The Morning Show is not based on a true story. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.
Stelter discussed events he observed while working as a reporter for The New York Times.
The book covers several events, such as the rivalry between Good Morning America and Today. This could be the basis for the competition between The Morning Show and Your Day, America in the series.
Additionally, while The Morning Show is a fictional drama series, it tackles real-life events, such as the #MeToo movement and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The series’ development began prior to the #MeToo movement but was reworked to include it.
When #MeToo happened, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, who also serve as executive producers, agreed that they would incorporate the movement into the series and “redevelop the show.” Aniston said in a press conference:
“The show existed before #MeToo happened. The show was always going to be pulling a curtain [back] on the New York media world and the morning talk shows. Once #MeToo happened, the conversation drastically changed and we just incorporated it.”
Additionally, Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly:
"I don't think I've seen a time in my life where more people have lost their entire careers over misconduct. People who were seemingly untouchable. We had to start totally over and redevelop the show, but it actually turned out to be so much more potent and topical."
As to the inclusion of COVID-19 in the series, executive producer Mimi Leder said that they felt it was important to include COVID in the storytelling because The Morning Show is a news show.
It is worth noting that while The Morning Show draws inspiration from real-life events, it is a work of fiction, and this is something Leder emphasized. Leder said:
“The #MeToo movement happened and we could not ignore it, did not want to ignore it. And having said that, this show is a work of fiction. It’s deeply researched. It’s not the Matt Lauer story or the Charlie Rose story. Unfortunately, there are so many stories that this show is a reflection of all these stories that have come out. It’s a story about the culture of silence and how there can’t be a culture of silence anymore.”
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Are The Morning Show Characters Based on Real People?
In the first season of The Morning Show, Mitch Kessler, a co-host of The Morning Show, was fired over allegations of sexual misconduct.
While Steve Carell’s Mitch Kessler is often compared to Matt Lauer, a longtime host of NBC’s Today show who was fired for similar complaints, Aniston said that the character is not based on him:
“Mitch Kessler is not based on him at all. He’s just sort of the archetype of all of the men that he’s representing."
On the other hand, Aniston shared that her inspiration for her character Alex Levy is broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer. Aniston said:
"I've known Diane for years, and I had the joy of getting to pick her brain when I was doing research for the show. Diane's always been so elegant and classy.”
Just like with The Morning Show’s story, it is worth noting that the characters in the show are fictional. There are current events addressed in the series, but The Morning Show is not based on any person’s life nor is it a direct retelling of real-life events.
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