Jennifer Aniston has never had kids, but she says filming Apple TV+’s The Morning Show leaves her so drained it feels like giving birth.
The 56-year-old actress, best known for Friends, opened up in a Glamour cover story for September 2025 with her co-stars. Talking about the long and intense shoots, she admitted, “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.’”
She went further with the comparison, calling it “the agony of pushing that watermelon out of a tiny little pinhole” and laughed about how the cycle repeats itself every season. While she has not experienced childbirth herself, she said her friends’ stories gave her the imagery.
Still, she admits there’s something special about finishing each season and deciding to keep going. “I do feel there’s something extraordinary about finishing a season and not saying those words of, ‘I’m done.’ 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,” Aniston said.
The Morning Show was one of the first series to launch with Apple TV+ back in 2019. Loosely based on Brian Stelter’s 2013 book Top of the Morning, the drama dives into the high-stakes and messy world of morning television. It quickly became one of the platform’s most-watched shows, second only to Ted Lasso.
The series has pulled in mostly solid reviews, though critics have pointed out its mix of heavy drama with moments that verge on the ridiculous. The Daily Beast’s Kevin Fallon once said the show “takes itself incredibly seriously, all the while delivering material that often borders on just-plain goofy,” but he credited the A-list cast for making it work. Alongside Aniston, the show stars Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and Jon Hamm.
Aniston’s performance as anchor Alex Levy has earned her major recognition, including a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for best actress in a drama series. She also helps shape the show as an executive producer.
Whether or not she signs on for more seasons, she’s clear about the toll it takes. For now, she’s enjoying stepping away to recharge, and as she put it, finding relief in comedy after the emotional grind of The Morning Show.