Why Did Reese Witherspoon Change Her Hair on ‘The Morning Show’?

The Morning Show Season 2 is set not long after the seismic events of Season 1, but things sure feel differently on the set of the fictional morning news show. Hasan Minhaj has joined the in-universe “Morning Show” as a new anchor named Eric Normani, The Spanish Princess‘s Ruairi O’Connor is telling the olds what’s trending on social media, and Reese Witherspoon‘s Bradley Jackson looks and sounds...different. (She looks and sounds more like Reese Witherspoon does in real life!)

When we first met Bradley Jackson in The Morning Show Season 1, she was a  local news reporter with flaming waves of auburn hair and an accent that placed her well south of the Mason-Dixon line. After getting caught freaking out on locals in a viral clip, she found herself interviewed by Jennifer Aniston‘s Alex Levy on the titular Morning Show. Bradley was an instantly popular personality. So much so that Alex bet on naming Bradley as her new co-anchor in a chaotic series of events.

Which brings us to The Morning Show Season 2. Now, comfortably ensconced in her anchor chair, Bradley’s hair is suddenly blonde and her formerly thick accent has the slightest hint of a twang. So what happened? Why did Bradley get a makeover between Seasons 1 and 2? Well, probably to reflect what really would happen if a Bradley Jackson was vaulted up the news food chain so fast.

The Morning Show Season 2 confirms this! In an early Morning Show Season 2 scene, Bradley tells Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) that she was willing to dye her hair at the behest of the network. These kinds of tweaks are well known in the network news world. Also ubiquitous? An accent known as “anchor voice” that is flat and respectable, without a hint of local color. Bradley’s accent isn’t wholly “anchor voice” in Season 2 of The Morning Show, but it is a heck of a lot closer to it than it was in Season 1.

The changes to Bradley’s look and voice in The Morning Show Season 2 might feel drastic, but they ironically speak to the evolution of the character. Bradley is no longer the outsider or the newbie to this world. She holds power and prestige. Moreover, she’s willing to play the high-stakes games of the network news landscape.

If Bradley Jackson looks and sounds different in The Morning Show Season 2, that’s the point. She’s not the Bradley we knew in Season 1 anymore.

The Morning Show Season 2 Episode 1 “My Least Favorite Year” is now streaming on Apple TV+. 

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