5 Questions with a Storyteller Shaping the Conversation: Charlotte Stoudt on Truth, AI, and Apple TV+’s The Morning Show

At CCDH, we believe powerful stories can shift culture. Few storytellers do that more effectively than Charlotte Stoudt, Executive Producer and Showrunner of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show.  

Starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show follows a successful morning television team as they navigate questions about truth, technology, and the human cost of a rapidly changing media world. 

In this first edition of 5 Questions with a Storyteller Shaping the Conversation, Charlotte reflects on what inspired her to tackle topics like AI and misinformation, and why she believes storytelling still has the power to help us see, and challenge, the world around us: 

“I’m interested in the tangled web of tech billionaires, politics, climate, and class. Whether that is building a “sovereign city” to circumvent government regulation, the rise of Palantir, or wanting to control the news. When people become trillionaires, how will they ever be held accountable?” 

Read Charlotte Stoudt’s full interview (it contains spoilers): 

1) Every season of The Morning Show feels urgent and deeply human, as if it is tapping into a conversation already happening in the culture. What drew you to explore AI, deepfakes, and misinformation this year, and what made this the right moment to take them on?  

When we were breaking season four, we watched a lot of AI news anchors, and really felt the uncanny valley of it. People had also started using ChatGPT as a therapist and best friend. The line between humans and algorithms seemed to be disappearing. We’re in some liminal moment right now. The more our machines pass the Turing Test, the more we have to consider what is human.  

To me, AI is a kind of mirror. Stella looks into it and discovers she doesn’t like what she sees. She, like her avatar, is missing – or has lost – some humanity in her rise to the top. And she doesn’t like that about herself. To me, that’s why she is sabotaging her career. On some level she wants out.  

2) AI is everywhere right now, and everyone seems to have a take on it. As you were shaping the season, which questions about authenticity, consent, or misinformation felt impossible to ignore, and how did those ideas influence your storytelling choices?  

The show is ultimately about women’s autonomy, so the rise of explicit deepfakes – even among women who are not celebrities – felt like something important to explore. The idea that your image can be used to generate pornography, completely without your consent, is extremely alarming. It’s the awful epitome of “Your body, my choice.”  

3) Truth feels more slippery than ever, including what it means, who controls it, and how easily it can be distorted. While you were writing this season, what ideas or fears about truth kept coming back to you?  

I think most of us suffer from confirmation bias, whether that’s political or personal. Tech has just amplified that. I love writers rooms because you dance with different points of view every day. I learn so much. It’s an incredible privilege.  

4) You’ve turned some of the most complex issues of our time into must-watch television. Do you think storytelling – especially fiction – can get audiences thinking more deeply about misinformation and power than traditional news reporting? And are you hoping your audience will be moved to take any kind of action after watching? If so, what?  

I think storytelling can open people up to engage with something challenging – you can find a way in through character. You can empathize. That said, nothing can replace rigorous investigative journalism when it comes to something like misinformation. We need both.  

5) Every storyteller has that moment when something connects, and you can feel it. As people watch this season, what kind of conversation that it might spark at home or work would make you think, “Yes, that is exactly why we told this story”?   

People seem to have responded to Chris’ doping and pregnancy story in Episode 405. I think the incredible pressure she put on her psyche and her body “to be worth something” is an experience a lot of women have, whether they are mothers or not. Acknowledging that out loud, and having viewers feel seen by that storyline, is incredibly satisfying.  

Bonus Question:  

Looking beyond the show itself, are there issues or conversations about technology, truth, or online culture that feel especially urgent to you right now?  

I’m interested in the tangled web of tech billionaires, politics, climate, and class. Whether that is building a “sovereign city” to circumvent government regulation, the rise of Palantir, or wanting to control the news. When people become trillionaires, how will they ever be held accountable? 

Did you like this interview and want to keep updated on our work? Join our email community: