Jennifer Aniston has spoken of the "heartbreak" she felt following the exit of a key character on her Apple+ TV show The Morning Show.
MORE: Jennifer Aniston's heartbreaking tribute to Friends' James Michael Tyler following death
Fans were in shock as the episode aired, revealing Steve Carell's Mitch Kessler died after driving off a cliff. Now, Jennifer has spoken of the "beautiful" way his character died but also how it will deeply affect Alex Levy.
WATCH: The Morning Show season 2 trailer
"It was so heartbreaking," she shared. "It's done so beautifully, and it's very poetic, in a way. But that's (Alex's) only ally. That's her only friend. That's her one person she has in the world."
Based on Brian Stelter‘s 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, the show follows Jennifer's host Alex who begins working with Reese Witherspoon's Bradley Jackson, an outspoken younger journalist who replaces Alex's longtime co host Mitch who was fired following claims of sexual misconduct.
MORE: The Morning Show season two: everything we know
MORE: Friends cast’s epic real-life homes: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry and more
Season two revealed that Mitch had spent the past year in Italy, escaping the press intrusion following the allegations of horrifying sexual abuse.
Viewers saw Alex visit him to ask him to deny claims they had a sexual relationship, for fears she herself would be canceled, and they begin to rekindle a romance.
Alex and Mitch were close and he was her "only friend"
However, as they watch a news report which alleges Black women were the target of Mitch's inappropriate behavior, Alex realizes it's over for the two of them.
"So you come here and you get me to tell the world that you are someone you aren't so you don't get canceled like I did, and then you will never tell anyone who you think I really am?" he asks her.
In the final scene, Mitch is blinded by headlights as he drives home and instead of making an attempt to turn the wheel he removes his hands from the wheel and closes his eyes. The car goes over the cliff as he sees himself dancing with Alex, and the screen fades to black.
The show is based on Brian Stelter‘s 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV
"It's one of the many things that lead her to the brutal reality and facing who she is and who she refuses to actually be, because their last conversation is so poignant," Jennfier told USA Today.
"Basically, 'I will do this for you in order for you to continue this façade of who you need so desperately to be. And yet you're going to throw me to the wolves.' So I think she has a real come to Jesus (moment) in terms of integrity and truth and who she is and who she really wants to be."
The show was set to return earlier in 2021 but the coronavirus pandemic put a halt on filming, and it finally wrapped in May 2021.
Hasan Minhaj, Tara Karsian, Greta Lee, Valeria Golino, Ruairi O’Connor, Holland Taylor and Julianna Margulies will all be part of the sophomore season, with The Good Wife star Julianna playing a ruthless journalist who is a mentor to Bradley, and wants to expose further concerns within the network.
The Morning Show airs on Apple TV+
Read more HELLO! US stories here
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
