'The Morning Show' and Controversial Actress Part Ways: No Season 4 Appearance for Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies will not be coming back to 'The Morning Show' for the upcoming fourth season on Apple TV+.

By Megan Behnke

Julianna Margulies will not be returning to The Morning Show for the upcoming fourth season. The actress joined the Apple TV+ series in the second season as journalist Laura Peterson. Last November, Margulies made derogatory comments on a podcast about Black people and the LGBTQ community, including the lesbian critics in Israel who "offended [her] as a lesbian" on The Morning Show. She later apologized for her comments.

Sources told Variety that the decision to not have Margulies return for Season 4 was made before her comments were made. She was reportedly offered to appear in just one episode, but she turned it down. She was also asked about a possible return for Season 5 if renewed, but it's unknown what her decision will be. Whether that will now be rescinded following her comments is unclear, but fans may want to wait until a fifth season is confirmed before any speculation.

How this will affect the storyline of The Morning Show will be interesting to see. Laura had a relationship with Reese Witherspoon's Bradley Jackson, but they broke up early on in the third season. While some fans may have been hoping the two would rekindle their relationship, that doesn't seem like that will happen anymore. Prior to the Season 3 finale, which aired before the podcast, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt expressed interest to Variety about exploring Laura's story more.

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"We're very, very, very early in the room, but I think I'd want to explore [Laura] more," Stoudt shared. "Her dimensionality. Not just, 'I'm Laura and I love Bradley, and she occasionally drives me crazy!' I think there's there's more to Laura than that." Now that Julianna Margulies won't be returning, it seems that hope will have to be shelved, at least for now.

As of now, there isn't too much information about Season 4, but it has been a long time coming. Apple renewed The Morning Show in April of last year ahead of Season 3, and storylines are still unknown. It shouldn't be long until details are announced, including how the show will handle Julianna Margulies' departure. In the meantime, fans can always watch the first three seasons on Apple TV+ and hope that Season 4 is right around the corner. Perhaps they will bring in a new love interest for Bradley. You never know what could go down.

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