Karen Pittman Talks ‘The Morning Show’ And Her Hopes In Season 5

Karen Pittman as Mia Jordan in the Season 4 finale episode of “The Morning Show”

Apple TV

Since premiering in 2019, The Morning Show, co-starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, follows a successful morning television team, as they navigate through network business mergers, unexpected drama, professional misconduct and more. With four full seasons now on Apple TV, there is another talented actress on this strong ensemble cast who continues to turn heads with her consistently powerful performance – Karen Pittman.

Playing seasoned television producer Mia Jordan on The Morning Show since the very beginning, Pittman’s character remains a standout and fan-favorite persona, with the sharp evolution of writing given to her story arc and the captivating mix of confidence and vulnerability that Pittman delivers on-screen.

Sitting down with Pittman for an unforgettable dining experience at Steak 48 in Beverly Hills, California, I was determined to really get to know the creative artist beyond the powerful TV presence – also giving memorable performances as Dr. Nya Wallace previously on the Sex and the City HBO Max spinoff, And Just Like That, and ongoing as Dawn on the hit Netflix series, Forever.

Born in Mississippi and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Pittman says she was always into imaginative play and was “one of those kids with big feelings and dolls. I was very much into like putting on shows. I just really loved to act and play and dance in front of people. I was inherently kind of shy, so I think my parents were very surprised when that came out of me.”

She added about her early acting bug: “It was self-soothing. It would make me feel – and that’s even true today – like if I’m not acting, I do feel a little off. The place where I feel the safest, I think, probably is on-set with my fellow actors, directors, live-in crew. I feel safe with my vulnerability. I think as an artist, an actor especially, you must remain sensitive to the world. You must remain available for observation and allowing that to enter your energy.”

Having an early acting career in the theater and live on Broadway, Pittman went on to share that the joys she gets out of theater, over television and film productions, is having the audience right in front of her, while they often interact through laughter and talking back to her up on the stage.

As for how Pittman initially learned of The Morning Show drama series being created and the character of Mia Jordan coming into fruition for her, she said, “When The Morning Show came to me, I read some of the sides. I read some of the banter, but this was a long process. It lasted about 10 weeks. I thought – This is a great story! I want to be a part of this, and I looked up Mimi Leder and I looked up Kerry Ehrin, and thought – I really want to work with them! We had decided to put two characters together in Mia Jordan. I think they had a much larger ensemble idea, but they decided to put these two characters into one. Mia was always going to be a woman that had an actual relationship/affair with Mitch Kessler (played in the first two seasons by Steve Carrell), but they had not yet fully defined what her role was on The Morning Show. I read with someone in the room, and they really liked me. It was another maybe three and a half weeks before I actually heard. I thought I hadn’t got the part, because it had taken so long. It was my first real job as a series regular on television, so I was very excited.”

Pittman credits the complexity and the originality of Ehrin’s writing for The Morning Show that ultimately made her feel like this was a proper fit for her. “For me as an actor, it’s so important to be in stories that are tip of the spear. This is going to be different than anything you’ve done before, which has attracted me to Luke Cage. It attracted me to And Just Like That. They were going to tell a different version of what women look like in New York City. It’s what attracted me to Forever, because there had not yet been a series of Judy Blume. I want to be involved in stories that reflect a kind of socio-political idea.”

Now four seasons into The Morning Show’s ever-evolving story, Pittman says that she is most proud of the ensemble cast that they have and the connection she has with Lauren Neustadter, one of the producers at Hello Sunshine. “I’m proud of being able to present Mimi Leder with an award from the art directors. I’m happy to show up for Nicole Beharie. You do get to the point where you’re like – This fame thing isn’t that fulfilling. It has to be about the work and the craft and the artistry. It has to be about the people. It has to be about the relationships.”

Pittman added about the audience response to Mia’s hard-fought journey through season four: “I’m glad that people like her. I’m glad that when women look at her, they’re like – She represents a lot of the journey that I’ve had as a woman in my industry. I’m so happy with the way people have responded to season four – how Mia sort of broke out.”

In 2024, Pittman was nominated for an Emmy for her “Outstanding Supporting Actress” performance in season three of The Morning Show. So, I wondered if that recognition from her creative community has either motivated or validated her efforts and confidence at all ever since.

Pittman said, “It motivated me. It definitely motivated me. I don’t seek validation, but it did. The Emmys are a sign of excellence, but I think it was really just motivation for me to go deeper as an actor and to really seek out more stories that matter to me.”

With Mia having become more and more of a leading presence on The Morning Show lately, I was curious if Pittman now feels a stronger sense of agency to speak up if/when a new script for Mia does not feel like a proper trajectory from Pittman’s creative perspective.

“I don’t give notes to [showrunner] Charlotte Stoudt,” Pittman said. “She doesn’t need me to tell her, because she’s doing great work. Yes, if she asks me my opinion, I certainly give it, but I think it’s very important to say that I have great respect for the writers on the show. They look at what they think is a theme to be explored in the season, and then they expand on that in the most intelligent and intentional way.”

With the entire fourth season now streaming on Apple TV and season five already announced, what does Pittman hope is next for Mia, and what aspects of her life have the writers not fully explored yet?

“I think I’d like to see more of her and Chris (played by Beharie). I’d like to know what the real deal was with [Mia’s secret relationship with] Mitch Kessler, because they really didn’t give enough time for that – to know how and why they got together. That’s sort of part of her origin story. I just never felt like I understood enough of it.”

With Pittman being surrounded by a female leadership team of co-stars, writers, producers and directors on The Morning Show, she has nothing but praise for her fellow trailblazing colleagues.

“They protect my work. They protect my ability to come to set and feel confident, beautiful, good, dressed, washed, makeup, hair done. Yes, it’s a team effort. As a Black woman, they make sure that I’m heard. Like, it influences the process. They’re just respectful and that kind of care and love, it can only come through admiration. We respect each other’s individual process, but we’ve all agreed that we’re all going to work hard. We’re going to try not to complain. We’re going to do the thing that we need to do for the show and for the story, and I find that as producers and directors and writers of the show, they are a steward of my best work by allowing me to be free and vulnerable and protecting that work.”

Looking beyond The Morning Show, as Pittman’s career continues to take new turns, what are the types of characters, genres, and stories that she is seeking out most right now?

Pittman said, “I seek out stories about feminists – women who are fragile and who are on a journey to find stability and strength. I don’t think that we’re born strong. I don’t think we’re born stoic. I think we actually build that in our character. Your experiences make us that way.”

As Pittman becomes more and more of a central figure within the entertainment industry today, following years of striving to make a name for herself and take on acting work that would best utilize her skills, I wondered what she is enjoying most about the Hollywood ways of today, and if there are areas that she feels still need to be better addressed.

“Well, I’m excited and optimistic about the variety of stories that I’m seeing from people of color. I’m excited to see what Ryan Coogler is doing next. I’m excited to see what Jordan Peele is doing next. That excites me because it makes me think – Yeah, I can take more risks and take more chances in my own career. What can we improve upon? I think the quality of the stories that we tell can always be improved upon. How far are we willing to go in the direction of artistic freedom and license? The ability to fail forward – to make mistakes for people of color, the industry. I’d like to see more of that progress in that area, to allow people to try things, to do things that are different.”

As I concluded my conversation with Pittman during our comfortably candid and joyous sit-down conversation at Steak 48, I left the celebrated Emmy nominee with one final question – What do you want to say to other female actors, particularly Black women, who are fighting to get noticed for their craft in this industry and continue on this often uphill climb?

“I want to say to them – Don’t quit. Don’t stop. We need you.”