The Morning Show has been a huge hit for Apple TV+. The series not only features A-list actresses, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, but the ladies are also producers of the show. With a supporting cast that includes Steve Carell and Billy Crudup, it came as no surprise when the series was nominated for three Golden Globes.

The show is very timely in the wake of the #MeToo movement and uses real-life events as inspiration. From Matt Lauer’s shocking exit from Today to designing the sets after to look just like various morning talk shows, the authenticity is impressive. Yet, there are some behind-the-scene secrets that not everyone is privy to.

20 Diane Sawyer Visited The Set With Jennifer Aniston And Reese Witherspoon

The legendary news anchor, Diane Sawyer, paid a visit to the set. Reese Witherspoon posted an Instagram pic with Sawyer and Jennifer Aniston along with the caption, “Look who came to visit us on the set of @themorningshow!" Witherspoon wrote. "@dianesawyer is a true trailblazer in the world of journalism and such an inspiration to all of us at @themorningshow!”

19 All The Ladies On The Set Had A Crush On Steve Carrell

Jennifer Aniston revealed that the ladies on the set crushed on Steve Carell, as reported by People magazine. "He's like a silver fox now," Aniston admitted. "And he just came in and no one expected, you know ... everybody was so cute, and he's so shy and fantastic. He's just better with age, it's amazing."

18 The Show Was Inspired By Brian Stelter’s Book

The Morning Show was inspired by a book written by CNN’s chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter. According to Esquire, the host of the network show Reliable Sources wrote  Top of the Morning, which covers the cutthroat competition between ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today as they compete to be the leading morning news show.

17 The Set Was Styled To Match Hoda Kotb’s Dressing Room

The production designer for The Morning Show, John Paino, spoke with Architectural Digest about the lengths he went to when it came to designing the set to be as realistic as possible. “We peeked inside Hoda Kotb’s dressing room when we were at NBC,” he revealed. “Jen’s room looks just as fantastic.”

16 The Show Was Loosely Based On The Matt Lauer Scandal At The Today Show

The Morning Show pulls from real-world scandals when it comes to their plotlines. Steve Carell’s character, Mitch Kessler was inspired by Today’s host, Matt Lauer, who faced abuse allegations. Lauer was fired from the show for inappropriate actions towards women on the staff and has been banished from the small screen.

15 Jennifer Aniston And Reese Witherspoon Worked Together Previously On Friends

This isn’t the first time that Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon have worked together on a series. The actresses starred alongside each other on the show Friends. Witherspoon played Rachel Green’s younger sister, Jill for two episodes. That may explain why they seem to have such easy chemistry on The Morning Show.

14 The Show Was Redeveloped In The Wake Of The #MeToo Movement

The Morning Show was rewritten as the #MeToo movement began to take shape. Reese Witherspoon told Harper’s Bazaar, “We decided we needed to start from square one and redevelop everything with more of a slant about the truth coming out in media and people being held accountable for their behavior."

13 Reese Witherspoon Spent Time With News Producers To Prepare For Her Role

Reese Witherspoon met with industry insiders to research her role for The Morning Show. “I spent a lot of time with news producers who have been doing this all their lives, and obviously a lot of journalists," she told Entertainment Weekly. "Every time I was on shows or could talk to somebody, I would ask them lots of questions”

12 The Cast Loves Working Together On The Set

According to Us Weekly, the entire cast loved working with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston and were inspired by the mega-stars. Karen Pittman, who portrays Mia Jordan in the series said, “They give you a hug. They welcome you into the room. They welcome you into the storytelling. They ask for your input,”

11 Jennifer Aniston And Reese Witherspoon Are Producers Of The Show

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are both producers for The Morning Show. Witherspoon to The Hollywood Reporter, "We’re kind of in a new place in our careers where we’re actually getting to produce this material and get a lot of creative input, and we have a lot of experience,” she said.

10 Reese Witherspoon Suggested That Her Character Should Have Brown Hair

Reese Witherspoon was behind the hair color for her character on The Morning Show, Bradley Jackson. “I had just gotten done playing Madeline in Big Little Lies and I wanted to do some stuff that was different,” Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly. “I didn’t feel like my character would be concerned with her hair or maintaining a certain hair color.”

9 Jennifer Aniston And Reese Witherspoon's Salary Went Under Scrutiny

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon make a whopping $2 million an episode for The Morning Show. The actresses came under scrutiny but Reese Witherspoon was quick to defend their high salaries. According to Glamour, she quipped during an interview, “Does it bother people when Kobe Bryant or LeBron James make their contract?"

8 The Costume Designers Have A History Of Dressing Reese Witherspoon And Jennifer Aniston

It wasn’t a stretch for the clothing designers of The Morning Show to dress Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Entertainment Weekly reported that Clare and Nina Hallworth have been styling Aniston for 15 years. Sophie de Rakoff collaborated with Witherspoon in the past as well for Legally Blonde and This Means War.

7 Almost All Of The Producers Of The Show Are Women

Not only are Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston producers of The Morning Show but all of the producers of the show are women except for one lone man. It’s refreshing to see a team of women take on executive roles on a series and perhaps it will inspire other Hollywood ladies to do the same.

6 Jennifer Aniston Studied Matt Lauer's Last Today Appearance For Inspiration

Jennifer Aniston studied Matt Lauer’s last appearance on Today for inspiration for The Morning Show. “It’s such a strange thing, she revealed to Variety. “It felt oddly like my dad did something terrible. I trusted him and had been interviewed by him. He was there for so many moments in my life.”

5 Reese Witherspoon Declared Her Love For Working With Jennifer Aniston On Instagram

Reese Witherspoon posted a sweet tribute to Jennifer Aniston on Instagram. She posted a pic of the final day of filming The Morning Show and wrote these kind words about Aniston, “There are not enough hugs, heart emojis or words to express how much I cherish working with @jenniferaniston," Witherspoon wrote.

4 Mimi Leder Had To Pass On HBO's The Watchmen Because She Was Already Committed To Directing The Morning Show

Mimi Leder is the director of The Morning Show and according to Business Insider, she was approached by Damon Lindel to work on the series Watchmen. "He did approach me, but unfortunately I wasn't available," Leder said before praising the show and reminiscing about working with Lindel on The Leftovers.

3 Jennifer Aniston Sold The Show To Apple With Only An Outline

Jennifer Aniston proved that she’s a Hollywood heavy hitter when she sold The Morning Show to Apple and a script had yet to be written. Aniston told Variety, “The show got picked up. We sold it to Apple with an outline. Then, about four months later, the whole s— hit the fan and, basically, we had to start from scratch.”

2 Producers Are Looking To Replace Steve Carell On The Show

Steve Carell only signed on for one season to play Mitch Kessler on The Morning Show. The Hollywood Reporter exposed that producers were searching for a “high profile male lead" to replace Carell as his character is being written out of the show after Season 1. Those will be some big shoes to fill!

1 The Morning Show Will Be Back For Season 2 In 2020

The Morning Show will be coming back to Apple TV+ for a second season. No premiere date has been set but it’s expected to return in November 2020. "We’re writing the show now; we’ll film it this summer, and we’ll be on next November," the show's producer Kerry Ehrin told Variety.

Sources: People.com, Instagram.com, Variety.com, Glamour.com. Ew.com