'The Morning show': Major star's exit confirmed

Stella Bak (portrayed by Greta Lee) has officially exited The Morning Show in season four’s episode six, titled If Then, marking a powerful and dramatic farewell for the character.

Showrunner Charlotte Stoudt explained that Stella’s journey was always heading toward this turning point.

“I was interested in Stella as a person who grew up in tech, who always thought of tech as something like a superpower that could enhance her. What happens when tech becomes a way to look in the mirror and ask, who am I really? Am I on the right path?” Stoudt told The Hollywood Reporter.

Stella’s downfall is triggered by a high‑stakes gamble involving artificial intelligence and a public meltdown that exposes her affair with her boss’s husband. The network CEO she helped rebuild collapses, and while Stella boards a plane alone for Europe, her future is left uncharted.

Stoudt shared, “It was very emotional [filming her final scene]. Just thinking about it, I tear up. It was very hard to leave her, even though it was time for Stella to go rediscover some part of herself, and she couldn’t do that at UBN… She had to get on that plane by herself. When you really are at a crossroads, people can support you, but you can’t have a buddy. You have to figure it out by yourself.”

Lee confirmed the exit was mutual and final: “This is the first time I’m saying it out loud but yeah, this is the end. This is goodbye.” She reflected on the real‑life challenges of balancing an intensive television series with her personal commitments: “These shows are such a commitment… scheduling‑wise, to be there, and to be able to hand over my resources and time to keep being on the show… So this was where we had to land.”

For Stella’s future, Lee imagines something softer, maybe a tiki bar rather than a newsroom, but always with the same ambition simmering beneath: “In my fantasy, I imagine there are Stellas out there everywhere who are plotting their comeback… and can’t not think about it any other way.”