Apple TV+’s The Morning Show has always been good at exposing the messy realities of workplace power dynamics, but this season, it’s doing something particularly important: showing us what it actually looks like to be a Black woman navigating corporate America. Through Mia Jordan, played by Karen Pittman, and Christina Hunter, played by Nicole Beharie, the show presents two different philosophies about ambition, sacrifice, and survival in spaces that were never designed with us in mind.
And the most devastating part? It shows how even solidarity between Black women can collapse under the weight of a system built to break us.
(Spoilers for Season 4 Ahead)
Mia: The Backbone Who Gets Passed Over
Mia Jordan is the executive producer who runs the entire operation. She knows everything about the show, everyone in the building, and exactly what needs to happen to keep things running smoothly. The crew relies on her. The anchors rely on her. The network relies on her. She is, in every meaningful way, the backbone of The Morning Show.
And yet, when a major promotion becomes available, she gets passed over. Stella Bak, the CEO and a fellow woman of color, had promised Mia that she would become head of news once Stella was promoted. But when the time comes, Stella gives the job to Ben, a man. It’s a broken promise that’s the culmination of years of Mia’s loyalty and hard work being dismissed, not just by Stella, but by the system itself.
The betrayal is particularly painful because it comes from another woman of color. Stella had the power to change Mia’s trajectory and chose not to. Proximity to power doesn’t guarantee protection, and sometimes the people who should understand our struggles are the same ones who reinforce the systems keeping us stuck.
Even worse, when Mia tries to pursue opportunities elsewhere, she gets blocked by Alex Levy, the white woman anchor she’s supported for years, who uses her power and privilege to change the course of Mia’s career without her consent. After years of broken promises and being overlooked, Mia walks away from The Morning Show entirely. She quits. Because what else is there to do when you’ve done everything right and it still isn’t enough?
Christina: Trying to Have It All
On the other side, you have Christina Hunter. She’s a former Olympic gold medalist turned news anchor who’s also building her own brand while raising a daughter. She represents a newer generation of Black women who refuse to choose between career and motherhood, who believe they can have both, and who are determined to build something beyond a single job title.
But the show doesn’t romanticize this either. It shows the cost. Christina is stretched thin, constantly trying to be present for her daughter while also excelling at work and managing her entrepreneurial endeavors. And when she prioritizes her daughter’s recital over a work commitment, Mia calls her out. The argument is brutal: Mia essentially tells Christina that she didn’t force her to have kids or become a multi-hyphenate professional. Work comes first.
It’s harsh, but it’s also revealing. Mia has sacrificed everything for this job. No children, no life outside of work, just singular dedication. And from her perspective, Christina is trying to do too much and expecting the workplace to accommodate her.
The Divide Between Black Women
The tension between Mia and Christina isn’t just about differing life choices. It’s about two different philosophies shaped by different generations and different costs. Mia represents the older model: sacrifice everything, keep your head down, work twice as hard, and maybe you’ll get what you deserve. Christina represents a newer approach: refuse to be one-dimensional, build multiple streams of success, and don’t accept that motherhood should disqualify you from ambition.
Neither is wrong. But the tragedy is that the system pits them against each other instead of allowing both paths to coexist. Mia resents Christina for having choices she didn’t feel she could afford. Christina resents Mia for not understanding that the rules have to change.
And this is what’s happening in real life. The tension between Mia and Christina is a mirror reflecting the impossible position Black women in the workforce are in right now. In just three months in 2025, nearly 300,000 Black women left the U.S. labor force. The DEI programs that once created pathways for women like Mia to advance into leadership have been systematically dismantled across federal agencies and private corporations. The very initiatives designed to level the playing field are now being treated as expendable.
Some women were laid off. Some quit after being passed over one too many times. Some walked away because surviving in spaces that demand everything while blocking your path forward isn’t sustainable. The Morning Show reflects that no matter which approach Black women take, the system tells us it’s not enough.
The Morning Show doesn’t offer easy answers, and that’s what makes it so effective. It doesn’t present Mia or Christina as right or wrong. It presents them as two Black women trying to navigate an impossible situation in a system that wasn’t built for either of their approaches to succeed.
Mia dedicated her entire life to one job and still got passed over by another woman of color who had the power to change her fate. Christina is trying to balance motherhood and career without sacrificing either, and she’s judged for it. Both women are punished for different reasons, but the outcome is the same: the system fails them.
The show’s real power is in showing us that the enemy isn’t each other. It’s the structures that force Black women into impossible choices, pit us against one another, and then penalize us no matter which path we choose. Mia and Christina represent two sides of the same struggle, and their tension is a mirror reflecting what so many Black women experience in corporate America every day.
