That's our show for today.
We are so glad you spent your morning with us.
And congratulations on your first week.
- Yeah. Well done. Good job. - Happy Friday, everyone.
Thank you, guys. It's been a fun ride.
Have a great weekend, America.
And stay tuned for The Twist.
Like they say, like Kelly says... You know what I mean?
I love this song.
And we're out.
Don't you ever, ever question my integrity in my own house again.
Okay. All right.
Let me explain something to you real quick.
The business of this show is a complicated world. Okay?
There are rules we have to honor here.
You may think you don't have to, but you would be fucking wrong. Okay?
This show, it will consume you,
it will spit out your bones and some gristle
and your fucking spirit along with it.
Unless that's what you're trying to accomplish, in which case,
I don't know what to tell you.
- Chip, what are you trying to say? - You could do great work here.
Don't annihilate yourself in the process
just for the sake of pushing buttons that you aren't supposed to push.
Be careful.
Why? 'Cause if the network's found culpable, you're the fall guy?
It'll kill your career?
Unfortunately, I think that death ship is sailing as we speak.
Look, not everybody's a self-serving pile of shit.
I'm talking to you about you.
- Chip. - Not now, Rena. I need five seconds...
Mitch is here.
Look at you, Mort. Nice scruff. I like it.
Hey, Greg.
Lindsey. How's the puppy?
- She's good, Mitch. - Remember, crate training.
You have to crate train. Hey.
Good morning. Good morning.
What... Fuck me.
Mitch?
Hey there, Captain. How's the Titanic?
Why are you here?
I worked here for 15 years.
There's something I wanna say to these good people.
- I don't think that's a good idea. - I think it's a great idea.
- Okay, call security. - I already did.
I'm staying with you. I mean, I wanna see the show.
Let's just hope the show doesn't involve a sawed-off shotgun under his coat.
God.
Hello, everybody.
Hi.
You know,
I noticed on the way in that there aren't any pictures of me out there.
What's going on with that?
Who did that? Who did that?
I'm kidding.
Well...
isn't this awkward?
I know you're terrified to say anything, so I'll do all the talking.
This is so weird.
First of all, I'm sorry.
And when I say that, I'm not admitting guilt or anything.
I am sorry in the same way you might be sorry for someone who was hit by a bus,
even though you weren't driving the bus.
So, I'm sorry that the show got hit by a bus.
We all got hit.
Secondly,
I...
I really miss the shit outta you guys.
I miss this place. I miss being here.
I miss my partners.
Hey, Alex.
I heard that you did an interview with one of my alleged victims
and that there's a New York Times article coming out imminently.
And we all know how that's gonna go.
I'm sure they're not gonna do a feel-good piece about me.
So that's the other reason I'm here.
I am asking you to speak up on my behalf.
Call the Times, go on record, give 'em quotes.
You guys know me better than anybody, so,
out there,
they're gonna blow this up.
But you've worked with me.
We have worked side by side for years and years.
We have shared family experiences.
We are colleagues. We're friends.
I'm asking you all, as friends,
to speak out on my behalf.
Mitch, this is not okay. You need to leave.
I know that some of you want to do it.
I know that there are some of you who want to speak up.
No, no.
This is scary. I get it.
Going against the grain,
saying things that are unpopular in the moment
about people that are unpopular in the moment.
But this is my fucking life!
Who will speak up for me?
Who here will speak up for me?
You are the people that I love in the world!
Anybody?
No?
Wow.
Okay.
Alex?
Okay. Listen, I get it.
I understand.
But from the bottom of my heart, I just want you all to know...
how important you are to me.
But... I'm... That's not to lay a guilt trip.
I really do love you guys.
And it's been an honor working with all of you. Thank you.
Mitch Kessler!
If it isn't Bradley Jackson.
Who else knew what was going on?
Who do you think?
Congrats on the chair.
Keep your back to the wall.
Bill! Bill?
Hey.
We were just talking about you.
Oh, yeah?
We think you are amazing.
Really? I feel like everybody over there wants to put my head on a spike.
No. No, no, no. A lot of us actually find you incredibly inspiring.
Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it.
Would you wanna come out with some of us from the office tomorrow night?
It's Claire's birthday, and we're going drinking.
It's your birthday.
I'm sure you have something much better to do.
No. I actually have nothing to do. I don't...
I don't really know anybody here. So I would love to come.
I just have to move into my new hotel. But what time?
Nine-ish?
- Yeah. - Tom O'Donnell's.
- Great, great. - Birdly!
I think that's me. I'm Birdly, I think. Okay, I'll see y'all tomorrow night.
- Bye, Birdly. - Bye.
- Thank you. - You're welcome. Enjoy.
Holy shit.
And he did that to me.
He branded me.
He stole my self-confidence, my self-worth.
And then I was drowning,
and there was no one to throw me a lifeline.
Oh, my God.
Hello. Please leave a message after the tone.
Hey, it's Chip. Can you call me back?
I could really use a favor.
- Hey, Mia. - Good morning, Bradley.
Maggie Brener from New York Magazine should be there any minute.
I told the front desk to call you.
Oh, yeah. I'm almost ready.
Listen. That Ashley interview.
- We didn't get the chance to talk after. - I know, Mia.
I'm not gonna say what you think I'm gonna say.
I thought it was a great interview. I'm really proud of it,
especially with Mitch showing up after.
I mean, it's just a big fucking reminder that what you did was right.
I think he misses an audience.
Yeah, well. Look what happened. We all just sat there and listened.
Well, obviously we're gonna be curious.
Exactly. Which is why Maggie Brener is gonna be curious, right?
It's this fascinating car crash,
and with Ashley's confession,
it's just opened up the door to more questions about The Morning Show.
And she is gonna expect you to answer them.
What are you asking?
I'm just asking that you keep all that in mind.
Maggie thinks she's smarter than everyone.
Well, I have no idea why The Morning Show chose me.
I mean, I feel like sometimes they got the wrong person or something.
Like, someone's gonna call up and tell me it was a big mistake.
Well, that's part of your charm, right?
The complete lack of pretense, the self-effacing authenticity.
Now, how do you hold on to all that?
I mean, I don't know. I guess, just don't believe your own press.
Don't surround yourself with yes-people.
Mainly I just think we're all gonna end up dead,
so there's no coming out on top anyway.
You just can't get caught up in all that bullshit.
I probably shouldn't say "shit."
That's okay. We all speak a little French.
So, you change The Morning Show, don't let The Morning Show change you?
Well, I think we can evolve together.
Right.
But... Alex.
I've known her for a long time. She is a legend.
She is.
Do you think that she's up for this...
Morning Show feminist revolution that you've ignited?
Especially in her own home.
Oh, I think she is.
But do you notice a shift in the behind-the-scenes culture
now that Mitch is gone?
Or is that even possible given that so much of the old guard remains?
I wasn't there before, so I can't really speak to a shift.
But you were clearly chasing that story yesterday
in your interview with Ashley Brown,
wondering at the culture
that allowed Mitch's behavior to go unchecked for a decade.
So I think it's fair to assume you're curious?
Yeah, I'm human. And I'm a journalist.
So when I see someone who has a story to tell,
I try to create space for them to share it.
Have you shared that space with Alex?
She's been there longer than anyone.
Yeah. Alex and I have just started to work together.
And I think we're off to a good start.
I'm hopeful that we will prove to be a very powerful team.
Well, I look forward to our ten-year follow-up interview.
Let's see if everything works out as you've intended it to.
We gave you the thrust of it. There were four accusers who came forward,
two by name. And after Ashley, we now have two more women
who are willing to go on record.
Allegations of misconduct and harassment by Mitch.
Some went through channels.
We're giving you eight hours to respond with a quote from Fred.
They need to give us the fucking details.
I need to know what's in the story, how exposed we are.
Agreed.
Otherwise I won't validate this with a quote.
Okay, Rob. Let's just cut to the chase here.
You know that we're not gonna let Fred give you a quote
if he doesn't know the content.
Hey, we're calling as a courtesy.
Our story plays with or without the quotes.
But you should think of optics.
People will know that Fred is trying to duck out.
Duck out from what?
There's a million vague stories going around. Yours isn't special.
If you had something to say that was new or explosive, then you'd be telling us.
Here's what we have. Four sources of quotes.
Three are women who work or have worked on the show,
one from a male who currently works on the show.
These events took place in his dressing room, in his car,
on location, in hotels,
in a Chevron bathroom on a remote in Northern California
during the Shakespeare Festival,
in Rome during the papal conclave,
a weekend at his vacation home in the Hamptons,
and numerous incidents on his yacht.
Extra, extra.
Anybody can say anything.
Is any of this credible?
It's some direct quotes and some second-party.
One of them is Fred's old assistant, Janine Friedman.
Mitch fucked Janine? Jesus.
What's the quote from Friedman?
Janine stated, "There was always an environment of protection for the stars.
I'm not speaking directly about sexual allegations,
but obviously the stars are the bread and butter, and they are fiercely protected.
I know there were always rumors about what Mitch was doing.
It was common knowledge."
What about if we trade the story of Mitch coming to the set yesterday
and getting escorted off by security for dropping the quote?
- Text him. - Yeah.
This is exciting.
Listen.
We have a story that's a perfect addition to this piece.
It's directly about Mitch, and it's eyewitnesses.
That's fantastic.
But you have to drop the Friedman quote.
I need to hear it before I can make that deal.
No, that's not gonna happen.
I promise you, it's going to make the piece sing.
Fuck 'em. They're bluffing.
Sorry, we're gonna run the piece as is. Thank you.
What the hell?
You need to do anything you can to stop this.
Discredit people making the allegations, call our sources.
Do what you have to do to get people to retract.
Buy them off. But stop this from happening immediately,
or you're gonna be looking for new jobs.
I'm really fucking sick of you and sick of your shtick.
I know you think you're a genius.
I have chewed through seven different versions of guys like you in my career.
So stop acting like you're the second coming of the Lord.
The truth is, nobody likes you.
Well, maybe your mother does,
but I guess she didn't pay enough attention to you, and...
now we all have to suffer because of it.
May I enter my lady's chamber?
So polite of you. Yes, please. Come in.
I'm getting my game face on.
Game face.
There was me thinking this was a delightful charity fund-raiser.
No, it is. It is.
Unfortunately, I have to do some old-fashioned stroking
of Maggie Brener's oversized ego.
Oh, to what end?
Well, she interviewed Bradley today for New York Magazine,
and I just, I just have to make sure I'm all over it.
Always something exciting to look forward to.
You have armies to conquer. Look your best.
You're supposed to say I already do.
- You already do. - Thank you.
Bradley, it's your dad.
I'm here in my car. And I thought I'd give you a call.
Chip, that Ashley Brown interview.
My God.
I know. It's a real barn burner, huh?
Yeah. Well, you guys promised transparency after Mitch, but... Jesus.
Look, let's just cut to it.
The article you're dropping, with more Mitch accusers...
You want to comment on the record?
No, I want you to tell me what's about to fuck me up the ass.
You weren't listening in on the call?
Sorry.
All right, fuck it.
How exposed is the network?
The show? I mean, how exposed am I, Robbie?
You gotta give me something, please.
I mean, how long have we been friends?
We chased the same stories. We stayed in the same shitty motels.
You've met most of my ex-wives.
I've done shit for you. I helped you get this job.
We know the culture wasn't perfect at the show,
but we did not know everything.
And we are cleaning it up.
Gotta help me. It's quid pro quo. It's what we do.
I'm sorry, Chip.
Really? You're sorry? After what I gave you?
I don't remember what you gave me.
Wasn't that the deal?
I'm not asking you to compromise the piece.
Just don't shoot me in the fucking face.
You owe me that.
That might compromise the piece.
I know where your skeletons are buried, my friend.
I'd think about what you're doing.
Welcome. May I take your coat?
Permission granted.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
You're welcome. Enjoy.
This gives you the warning. Cory just walked in.
- Okay. Game face. - The smile.
Hello, Cory. So glad that you could come.
Oh, Alex, if only you meant that.
I know you only invited me for political reasons.
Oh. Well, true.
But let's just pretend maybe I didn't.
It might be more fun.
Oh, and you can sing a show tune for a donation.
What about "The Waltz of Treachery"?
Les Mis?
Very inside baseball, that selection. I'm impressed.
Likewise.
I guess we do have something in common after all.
Who knew?
Manhattan?
When in Rome.
So good to see you.
- Hi, Geneva. - Hi.
You're here.
- Thanks for coming. - Thank you so much for doing this, Alex.
Yes, thank you. Place looks beautiful.
Thank you. Thank you.
- How is everything? - Okay.
- Yeah? - Okay, well, actually, not okay.
Have you heard about these wildfires outside of Los Angeles, California?
I know. They're horrible.
Well, apparently, they're just a few miles from our Malibu home.
- No. I'm so sorry. - We'll be fine.
We have a hysterical neighbor who loves the drama.
But I really hope you're right, Fred.
I hope you get to relax. That's what tonight is all about. Okay?
Bid on something, Fred. Don't be cheap.
Why does everyone think I'm so cheap?
Because you are, dear.
- Thank you. - Do you come here often?
Yeah. You actually look kinda familiar to me.
Buy you a drink?
I'd love to. But I'm too busy controlling the universe.
Of course you are.
Have you seen Maggie yet?
God. She better fucking show.
Yeah. How's the old game face holding up?
My game face is fantastic. I'm doing great.
You know that I always know how to pull it together when I have to.
Yes, I do.
Yes. But you know what's driving me crazy?
Everybody. All they wanna do is talk about Bradley Jackson.
"This Bradley, she's amazing." "Oh, my God. What a find."
"Bradley, she's just like a revelation."
"What a firecracker."
It's fucking bullshit.
I swear to God. I'm the one who found her,
- and no one seems to remember that. - I remember it.
Anyhow, speech time.
So, deep breath.
Look both ways. Wear a helmet and just be careful.
Oh, come on. Don't worry. I'm almost always careful.
"Almost."
Okay.
Excuse me.
Hello, everyone. Don't worry, I'm not gonna sing.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for coming out tonight.
And a very special thanks to Geneva Micklen, who introduced me
to this wonderful foundation and the reason we are all here tonight.
Thank you.
The New York Theatre Development Fund
seeks to bring the power of theater to everyone.
They provide scholarships for underprivileged drama students
and future theater performers.
So, please check out the auction room.
There are some fantastic pieces in there.
And Christian will be here all night.
So, for a $1000 donation, you can sing one of your favorite show tunes.
Like Cheyenne Jackson did so beautifully just before.
Yes, and there will be desserts passed around, drinks.
And just please enjoy yourselves and...
long live Broadway.
Thank you. Enjoy.
- You did so well. Thank you so much. - Thank you.
- Hey. - Hey, what can I get ya?
What do you have for a social obligation I'm not emotionally equipped to be at?
Jameson. It got us through the social obligation
of lying to the British for quite a while.
Perfect. I'll have that on the rocks.
Actually, make it a double.
A double? I'll run a tab for ya.
Great. My name's Bradley.
I'll remember ya.
All right. Wish me luck.
Good luck.
That's Bradley Jackson.
Bradley's here. How did that happen?
Oh, yeah, Claire and I invited her.
She actually showed up? Interesting.
- Oh, my God. I love that hair. - Who wants another round?
You like it? The network made me look like a tool. So, I changed it.
Anyway, thank you for having me.
Happy birthday, Claire.
- This is for you. - Thank you.
- To Claire. To Claire. - Thank you.
- To Claire. - Thank you very much.
- Cheers. - We were just about to play
"Take a shot for every time you hit on someone at a workplace in the old days."
- In the old days. - Anybody need anything?
- Tequila. - Tequila.
Yes, tequila. And then we're gonna put it on my card,
and I'm gonna keep it open all night.
My name is Bradley.
- Ms. Jackson. - Ms. Jackson if you're nasty.
Oh, my God.
You nasty, Layla. I see you.
How does he know who I am? This is so weird.
- Get used to it. - That's what this is for.
Takes the edge off the things you don't like thinking about.
Cheers to that, my friend. To denial.
Denial!
Yes, I
Can
Yes, she can
You're too good. That was so silly.
Tequila on the rocks, please.
Daniel, you're too talented.
Well, I'm no Neil Diamond, but I do okay.
No, the singing was great, but what I meant was you're too talented
to be waiting around for some white folks to play chess to decide your future.
It is good to see you, Audra.
So, where's the rest of the YDA team?
Well, Jimmy's grandmother's home is in the path of the California wildfires.
So, he went out to make sure that everything was okay.
Oh, my God. That's terrible.
Yeah, we'll see what happens.
What I was getting at was
there is something that I would like to discuss with you.
Okay.
Preferably not in an environment that is teeming with TMS overlords.
Look, TMS has been my home for a long time,
and I don't think my work here is done just yet.
Do you feel appreciated?
I feel motivated.
Okay, keep telling yourself that. Come talk to me.
Hey. Why don't you be a good gay and come listen to show tunes with me?
- Sure. - Okay, come on.
- Painful, right? - Brutally painful.
Oh, no. There's nothing much left now.
- All right. So, are you gonna sing? - Please, make him sing.
Oh, please. Come on.
I'm thinking "Modern Major General" 'cause I can talk-sing it,
and I learned it in boarding school.
So, it's either that, or any musical that Rex Harrison ever sang in. We'll see.
Gilbert and Sullivan.
What a crowd-pleaser. I can't wait for that.
- It'll be good, Yanko. - Okay. Sure.
Oh, Maggie. Okay, have fun.
- Hi, Maggie. - Hi, Alex.
- How are you? - Beautiful party.
- And beautiful men. - I know. Always.
You are such a champ for being here.
I know that you already had a full day with my new partner in crime.
She's quite something, huh?
Bradley, yeah.
- Yeah, she's an interesting find. - Yes, I know. I know.
Is she here?
- Okay. - Nope, she's not here.
No, she actually is taking a night for herself.
- Which she has earned. - Good for her.
It must've been quite the week being shot outta the TMS cannon.
It was a tough week for her.
And, I mean, she's extremely talented, but she got quite shell-shocked
when I told her that she had to go on air Monday.
Who wouldn't be? So...
You made the Monday call?
Yeah, I know what the show needs.
You know, a fast, fresh start.
Feminist slant. And it couldn't happen faster in my opinion.
And Bradley came through like a superstar.
I mean, for someone who has zero anchor experience, she did great.
Well, clearly guided by the steady hand of someone
who has been through the wringers of the industry herself.
Well, yes. I mean, you know this, Maggie.
It's never straightforward when women try to take control
of a male-dominated empire, you know?
But we made history with that interview.
You're already a royal we? That's cute.
Thank you.
I mean, come on, you really think that I wouldn't take a firm hand
in an interview that had stakes that high?
I mean, I worked with Bradley all week, I guided her,
trying to get to the truth of Ashley's experience.
And it was intense. And it was tough. But we, I... We got there.
Is this supposed to be on the record?
No.
I just thought that you would be interested
in the changes that were happening over at TMS.
I mean, I myself felt certain constraints sitting next to Mitch.
And now, I finally have an opportunity to make things better over there
for women, and for myself.
- What? - Alex, we've known each other too long.
I have tremendous respect for you, but...
I am not going to write some feminist puff piece
about a woman...
who turned a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of her cohost.
Excuse me?
Bradley's profile is gonna be great.
I don't blame you for being worried about getting lost,
the fear that someone sitting next to you is your replacement.
I know this is really hard for you.
Would you like to comment on that?
Off the record, Maggie.
I'm not afraid about getting lost.
Anywhere.
Ever.
Enjoy the party.
I still haven't heard anything about the Times pulling back.
Fuckers. Have you?
No, not a word. Fuckers.
Hey, you just missed the press photographer, Chip.
Shall I call her back?
We can all be in the Gala section of W looking like the rich assholes we are.
I think I'm more comfortable being an off-camera asshole. Thank you.
You're here pretty late.
I'm here pretty drunk.
Drinking seemed more pressing tonight for some reason.
I'm gonna go find Geneva.
You know, just... I didn't really appreciate being left off the Times call.
You weren't needed.
I know what you're doing.
You're waiting for that article to come out,
and then if it's bad for you, I don't have a job in the morning.
Am I right?
I guess I'm right.
Sorry, Charlie "Chip" Black.
Are you really?
I think I actually am.
Okay. Well, just so you know, you're not immune here.
You're just as fucking expendable as I am.
Hey, you good?
Please. What, are you in the 12-step program?
- Wanna make amends to me? Cory. - No, Alex, now hold on just a minute.
Come on. Let 'em get a picture of us talking, you know?
Smiling...
Yeah, are you good?
I can't remember the last time that we actually talked.
What do you... What do you want, Cory?
It was right before you announced Bradley as your cohost.
- And I was pretty awful to you. - You were a dick.
Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite. I just wanted you to hear it from me.
- Okay, and what is that? - You were right.
Yup, I said it.
You did a good thing. That Bradley stunt was brilliant.
And I want us to find a way to work together.
I think you're kind of a crazy genius,
and I like working with crazy geniuses.
Go fuck yourself, Cory.
Save your energy for your next kill. I'm not biting.
- You don't believe me. - No.
Oh, Alex.
I'm gonna try a little harder.
Everybody, can I get your attention for a second, please?
I just want to take a second to acknowledge our hostess tonight.
Alex, what would we do without you? To Alex, everyone.
Wow. Thank you. That's so nice. Thank you.
I dedicate this song to you, Alex Levy.
You make my job so fun. You're gonna like this one.
What are you doing?
Nothing's gonna harm you
- Not while I'm around - Oh, good God.
Nothing's gonna harm you No, sir
Not while I'm around
Demons are prowling everywhere
Nowadays
I'll send them howling I don't care
- I've got ways - Yes, you do.
- You know this is a duet, Alex Levy. - God, no. No way.
Come on. You're the musical theater nerd! You gotta get in there! Go, go!
No one's gonna hurt you No one's gonna dare
Others can desert you Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there
She knows the words, everyone!
Demons will charm you with a smile
For a while
But in time
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around
Being close and being clever
Ain't like being true
I don't need to I would never
Hide a thing from you, like some
What the fuck is going on right now?
I don't know, but it's weird and fascinating, and I'm super into it.
No one's gonna dare
Others can desert you
Not to worry Whistle, I'll be there
Demons will charm you with a smile
For a while
But in time
Nothing can harm you
Not while
I'm around
Bravo, Alex!
Yeah?
Yes, I absolutely am ready to give you that quote.
And you'll lose the Friedman quote?
What changed? Fine, fine, don't tell me.
Perfect. You ready?
Alex. Alex, what is going on?
I have to get out of here.
This is your party. What am I supposed to tell people?
Tell them to wrap it up. Tell them to stop fucking singing.
- Wait. Did something happen? - Something happens every five minutes.
I need some air. I cannot be in the same room with all those people right now.
I'm at a loss here. How is being out on the street better...
- What the fuck is going on, Alex? - I'm going to see Mitch!
All right?
I need to talk to him.
He's in the city.
We have a lot going on right now. And I just want to fucking talk to him.
I want to see my friend. Is that a fucking crime?
No, no, not a crime.
Then, please, don't turn this into something that it's not.
I won't.
Go on, off you go. I will lie for you, and take care of your party.
Thank you.
So, now no one can ever have a fling with someone sexy they work with?
It isn't that hard to hook up with people who you don't have to see every day.
With what free time exactly?
Celibacy has its perks.
Like?
I do not know.
Please. What does any of it matter?
Men put their dicks in a bunch of places they don't belong.
But who amongst us could say we wouldn't be doing the same
if we were differently equipped?
- Hannah. - It's what being a man is all about,
and that is never really gonna change,
no matter what lies we tell ourselves, no matter what stories we do about it.
So... mazel tov!
You're a nihilistic drunk, Hannah.
- Fucking right, babe. - And I love it!
It would help if the security guard could keep Mitch out of the fucking building.
It was so sad. His face. And he remembered about my dog.
No. What was fucking sad was all the people who tried to pretend
like they didn't know or participate in what Mitch was doing.
So, it wasn't just Mitch.
Mitch was the only one that was going...
Hold on. Who wants to know?
I'm sorry?
What Rena means is, does Bradley Jackson the truth teller want to know,
or Bradley Jackson the human being out for a night of revelry with her coworkers?
Really?
Y'all, I've worked in enough places.
I would be shocked if it was just Mitch. Shocked.
But not everyone here does live interviews trying to get to the truth.
Are you saying I shouldn't have asked her to be honest?
I think some of us just love our jobs, imperfect though they may be.
Okay, listen. I'm not trying to double or triple fuck any of y'all.
I am just a witness to history here, just like the rest of you.
Vive la révolution! Off with his balls.
No offense, Claire, but give it ten years, see if you feel the same way.
You know, maybe you have too much perspective
and too many years of being trained to enable this behavior in men.
- Jesus, Claire. - What the fuck does that mean?
No, I'm not blaming you, but I certainly hope
I'd still wanna cut off Mitch's balls in ten years.
He'll still be a fucking creep.
First of all, how old are you? What, 24?
Actually, why don't you try giving it 20 years.
And with all due respect, you've been in your job... 18 months?
What the fuck do you know about this show, what it's been, what I have seen?
What I have gone through since I've been on this show.
Okay, with all due respect, you don't have to have worked here for 20 years
to know that what Mitch did was fucked up.
Okay, let's just...
Obviously, no one is disputing that,
but it's not as black-and-white as you are stating it.
Right? 'Cause this shit is complicated. People are complicated.
Mitch was complicated.
And he was a part of this show.
And I care deeply...
for this show.
Okay. Mia, I'm really...
I'm really drunk. I'm sorry. We're all drunk and...
No, no, no, I'm sorry. I apologize to all of you, right?
This is hard for me. I feel bad for...
I feel bad 'cause, you know, that Times article is gonna be...
gonna be hard to come back from.
For us or for Mitch?
You know what? I'm gonna call myself a Lyft 'cause I need a lift.
I'm sorry, Mia.
No, no, it's fine. It's fine.
Forgive me.
Sorry, sorry.
Happy birthday. Happy birthday.
Thank you.
- Bye, Mia. - Yes. See you tomorrow.
- Okay. Bye, Mia. - Okay. Bye. Bye.
I'm really sorry I said to cut off his balls.
I'm glad you called. This conversation is scintillating.
God. I was literally just thinking
how nice it is to be so comfortable with someone
that you can just sit in silence and not have to talk.
You called the wrong guy.
I've been making a lot of wrong calls lately.
Yeah. I wanted to ask you about that.
What the fuck is with this Bradley Jackson person?
- Don't ask. - What, was that a network move?
That was me. That was a me move.
I sprung that on 'em at that dumb journalist event the other night.
- It was this... - No shit. Really?
Yes, I did.
Oh, gosh. And you know what?
Now, there is absolutely no turning back. Nope.
The wheels really came off your world when I left, didn't they?
They flew right off. I mean, I don't...
Would you like to hear my honest opinion on this?
Is that rhetorical?
- Yes, of course it is. - Of course it is.
She's not gonna last, and you have to prepare yourself for that.
Because people are so fucking stupid,
they see something that's loud and in their face, and they're,
"Wow, what's this?"
Then they realize that they don't like things that are loud and in their face,
and they move on.
So, I suggest that you just
keep your distance, lest you get chunks of Bradley Jackson
getting in your hair when she implodes.
- Oh, God, lovely. - Well...
I can see it. Okay, and then what?
Assuming that I'm not covered in Bradley Jackson remains,
which is a big assumption.
Life goes on, you know?
People continue to watch the show
'cause it helps them digest the horrors of the world,
and you are gonna come out smelling like a rose.
They are gonna love you even more after Bradley Jackson crashes and burns.
And after the debacle, known as "me,"
you're gonna be the wise one, the solid one, the smart one,
the one that they can count on,
the one who survived it all,
the one who never changed.
And then you'll find a new coanchor, probably a man.
And as ridiculous as it sounds right now, probably gonna be a straight, white man,
gonna be handsome, not too handsome, not intimidatingly so,
just sort of a...
like your best friend's father you always sort of had a crush on.
And he's gonna be really smart, and he's gonna be a journalist,
and he's not gonna be one of these just camera bimbos.
He's gonna have some real depth to him.
And the two of you are gonna get along great.
And you guys will make each other laugh, on the air and off the air.
You're not getting your job back.
- Me? I'm not talking about me. - Never. No.
I'm just talking about this nameless, other person.
This other person who lives in a house of fun mirrors.
Oh, really? Don't we all?
Yes, I know. Fair enough.
You miss me.
Admit it. You do. I can tell.
You called me.
Would you just drive the fucking car, dipshit?
You know what?
I have an idea. We could go out.
Paige is gone. And you're separated.
Oh, my gosh. Mitch, do you hear yourself?
We're unattached.
This is the first time ever that we're both unattached, so we could do this.
I mean... Yes, I'm sure it's every girl's dream
to settle down with a sexual predator.
And have... just have two-and-a-half little predators of her own, and...
Okay.
But I think the world holds me to a higher standard than that.
Yeah, well, you're right. It does.
There's life after the show, though.
It doesn't sound half bad to me. I can think of worse things.
Thank you.
I do miss you.
I really miss you, too.
I'm sorry.
Oh, Mitch. The story just dropped.
Oh, shit.
Well, fuck.
Guys. The Times piece. It's out.
Oh, shit.
Oh, my God. The papal conclave? I think I know who this was.
"The woman said Mr. Kessler asked her
to join him in the gas station bathroom." Jesus.
"In spite of Bradley Jackson's explosive interview with Ashley Brown,
no further incidents of a cover-up climate were reported."
I'll be right back.
Hello?
Hey, Dad?
It's me. It's... Bradley.
I hope it's not a bad time.
Why are you calling me?
Well, that's a good question.
I guess... I guess it's been a while. I guess...
I wasn't sure you wanted to talk to me.
Yeah. You just wanted to call and chat after 15 years?
You sound like you're at a bar.
Well, you would know.
All right, I'm sorry.
I'm just... I'm calling you because...
because I was thinking of you. I'm always thinking of you.
And I've been watching your program.
And maybe it's selfish of me, but I wanted to call,
and I wanted to tell you how proud,
how very...
How proud, how very proud I am.
I wish your grandmother could see you.
I always knew that you were so smart, Bradley.
The way you would...
you would debate politics with me when you were little.
It's not that I'm...
I'm taking credit for how extraordinary you turned out to be.
No, quite the opposite.
No. Considering where you came from and how far you've come...
I put you through hell.
Are you still there?
I put you through some hell, too.
You did what you thought you had to do.
I did what I had to do.
Look, you can't call me.
You didn't call Mom, did you? 'Cause you know she's pretty fragile.
No, I've not called her, I'm...
I don't wanna make any trouble.
Well, then don't, okay? I gotta go.
Okay. Good night.
Take care of yourself, kiddo.
I always have.
- Hey. - Hey. Can I get a drink?
It's on the house.
- One more? - Yeah. Just keep it coming.
- All right. - What's your name?
- It's Andrew. - Andrew.
- Yeah. What's your name? - I'm Bradley.
- Actually, I've run your card... - Oh, yeah?
Which I still have, by the way.
Okay. All right.
- I gotta go. - You gotta what?
- Yeah. - You gotta be kidding me.
That... fucking asshole.
I... I really... I need to go home.
Come on, Alex. You knew all about this stuff.
I knew it, yeah.
I knew about it in theory, but just reading this
just felt really, really different.
- Can you just please... - Okay. Okay.
I need to go home, Mitch. Please.
- Okay. - Okay.
Okay.
I'm sorry, Ms. Jackson. I can't give you his room number.
Yes, you can. I live here. He lives here.
He's my neighbor. I have a right to know his address.
No one is disputing he stays here. I just can't give you his room number.
Then just call him and tell him that I'm down here.
I'm not gonna call 'cause I know he's not up there.
- Why do you keep saying... - Bradley.
- So sorry I'm late. - Cory.
I told him I knew you, but he wasn't listening.
Yeah, my apologies. Come with me, all right?
- So rude. - It's okay.
Don't worry about that guy. He's just doing...
I'm glad I found you.
I'm hearing, from that conversation, that you're living here now, huh?
- Yeah. They moved me here. - All right. What room are you in?
I live upstairs.
Okay.
You wanna tell me what happened?
- No. I don't know. - All right.
I do know. I did something really fucking stupid.
It's okay. Here. Hold on.
- I fucked this bartender. - Okay, well...
And I'm not sorry that I fucked him.
I'm just worried because,
I don't know, I guess I'm famous now or something,
I don't know.
I'm so... I just don't know what I'm doing.
No, no. Hey. Hey. It's okay. Come here.
Lean on me.
It's all right. I gotcha.
- Don't you worry, okay? - I'm just embarrassed.
Don't be. I got you. It's gonna be okay.
- Yes? - Hey, yeah, Fred. It's Mitch.
"Fred Micklen told the Times,
'He came to the studio in an emotional state.
He had to be escorted out.
It's painful to watch, but his own actions brought him to this.
He's done. He'll never work again.'"
If I'm going down, you are going down with me.