Chip Black

## Charlie "Chip" Black

**Charlie "Chip" Black** is the executive producer of UBA's The Morning Show.

## History

### Mitch's 50th Birthday

Chip helped plan a surprise to celebrate Mitch's 50th birthday, including giving him a Ducati motorcycle from the studio. While he was inspecting the newly-delivered motorcycle, Alex came in, upset that Mitch was going to cover the playoffs instead of her. He told her the network had done tests and wanted Mitch to do it, but she feared it was the first step toward pushing her out. He told her not to worry.

On set, he asked Jared, the head booker, why Alex was talking to a representative for the Homeland Security story instead of a senator like Chip asked for. Chip banned Jared from booking that representative anymore. Jared said he had a senator, but he backed out and there wasn't time to get another. Hannah then spoke up and suggested she might be able to get a different senator. Chip told her to do it.

Later, Chip called Mitch pretending to have some papers for Mitch to review, drawing him into the studio where everyone was waiting to surprise him for his birthday.

After the party had died down, Hannah woke Chip, who was sleeping in his office, to tell him there was an active shooting in Las Vegas. He immediately ordered those around him to make arrangements to send a team there to do a special show. Mitch tried to convince Chip not to send Alex, but Chip said she was going. When Jared was unable to be located, Chip took Mitch's suggestion to send Hannah in his place. Mitch then asked Chip to move Mia from his team to Alex's and Chip did so. He assured Mia it wasn't a punishment. When Alex found out about this, she was unhappy, but Chip said having Mia might help her.

### Mitch's Firing and Bradley's Hiring

Chip was lying on his office floor very early in the morning when he got a call from Fred that the New York Times was reporting that Mitch Kessler was being investigated for multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Chip then had to call Mitch and share the news with him. Chip then tried to call Alex, Mitch's co-host at The Morning Show, but she ignored his calls, so he waited for her outside the studio. He told her they had to fire Mitch because there were multiple reports. They had been trying to deal with it quietly, but someone leaked it. Alex was angry with Chip for not handling it better, because she felt they wouldn't be able to replace the chemistry she had with Mitch.

After Alex's broadcast, where she addressed the allegations and reported that Mitch had been fired because of them, Chip called a meeting with all senior staff to discuss what was next for the show. Chip and Cory had dinner together and Cory said he thought maybe they needed to replace Alex as well, so they could find America's new couple instead of trying to find someone who could work with Alex.

Hannah told Chip that YDA booked one of Mitch's victims, Ashley Brown, for an interview. She believed she could convince Ashley to come on TMS instead and Chip told her to do what she needed to do. Cory then told Chip he'd scheduled a meeting for him with Bradley Jackson, a potential field correspondent.

With Alex negotiating her contract, Chip was forced to promise he'd push her contract through in order to get her to go on the air one morning.

Chip then met with Bradley, which didn't go well. Bradley wanted to do her own producing and was shocked to learn that the show was entirely scripted and she'd be expected just to read what they'd written for her. She said she'd seen the show and barely considered it news. In response, he told her to leave.

Chip then went to see Mitch to tell him to stop calling reporters. Mitch had been looking for someone to tell his side of the story, but it wouldn't work. Chip also warned him not to go to the event where Alex was being honored, though he'd previously been invited.

When Chip arrived at the event, he was surprised to see Cory bring in Bradley to sit at their table. Cory quietly told Chip that she was there to be a wake-up call for Alex to convince her to close her deal without co-host approval, an issue neither side was willing to cave on. As Alex accepted her award, she shocked everyone by announced Bradley as her new co-host.

After the event, Chip went back to the studio, where people were buzzing with the news. Cory defended Bradley as a co-host and they began to prepare her for her new job. Chip went to the writers and had them start writing a story for Bradley. Chip and the writers were surprised when Alex came in, saying she wanted to be more involved. She also insisted on taking the Ashley Brown interview.

Chip then had to deal with Daniel threatening to quit because he hadn't gotten the job. Chip told Daniel to stick around for the next time the seat opened up, which he believed would be soon as she was certain Bradley would fail.

Alex wanted to do more than one segment with Ashley, but Chip nixed it and said one was enough. Alex was insistent she would do the interview how she wanted and anyone who didn't like it could quit.

On Bradley's first day, she made waves when she went off-script and talked about the struggles she'd faced in her life, including having an abortion at 15. When he realized what was happening, Chip called for them to go to weather. Donny asked if he wanted to cut that part out for the west coast feed, but Mia pointed out that the women's groups would criticize them if they did, so Chip said to leave it in. He then started giving instructions to re-structure the week to cut Bradley's air time down as he believed what she did was deliberate.

Plans for the Ashley Brown interview continued, but Chip said Bradley would be doing it. The investigator the network hired had also arrived and Chip said they all had to speak to her.

On the day of the interview, Bradley again went off script. He tried to cut the feed, but Cory overruled him and told them to continue. After it was over, Cory said it was excellent and he couldn't wait for the rest of the show.

As she left the stage, Chip warned Bradley not to annihilate herself. He was then surprised, as was everyone else, when Mitch came in and asked someone to stand up for him. While Mitch spoke, Chip told him what he was doing wasn't okay and he needed to leave.

When buzz started around an upcoming article from the NYT about the show and Mitch Kessler, Chip met with Robert and asked him what the article said about him, the network, and the show. Robert refused to tell him, saying it would compromise the piece.

Chip then went to a fundraising party at Alex's and arrived already drunk. He was upset that he'd been left off a call the network made to the NYT to find the same information he tried to get from Robert. When the article was released, Chip read it and got a text from Rena saying it could have been worse.

### Wildfires and Plotting with Cory

After learning that the wildfires in California were approaching his property there, Fred called Chip and told him to send Bradley and Alex to California to cover the fires. Alex tried to refuse, but ultimately agreed to go, though she didn't want Bradley to go. Chip said they were both going as Fred wanted them both there.

When they arrived in California, Chip sent everyone to get things set up. Once the production tent was up, they started planning for the next show. Chip said they needed an upbeat story to end on and suggested the man who rescued several dogs from the fires. Bradley said that was a bit soft and suggested something about allocation of resources, with data showing that richer areas got greater protection while people in poorer areas lost everything. This started an argument between Bradley and Alex about the purpose of the show. Chip ulimately decided they'd go with the dog story, but told Bradley to look deeper into the private firefighters for the next show.

Chip then met with Cory, who was in town for pilot season. Chip asked Cory for protection as more things came out about the show and the network. He offered to help Cory get Fred's job in exchange. Cory said he didn't see Fred going down unless something came out about him specifically.

When Alex started crying on camera while interviewing the man who had rescued the dogs, Chip told Donny to keep the camera off her and focus on Bradley instead. After the show, Alex shut herself in her trialer, so Chip and Sean stood outside trying to get her to open the door. Finally, Alex peeked out and told them she was fine. Bradley knew that wasn't true and went inside to speak to her. Bradley then came out and told Chip that Alex was calming down and she'd cover the next segment. Chip went to talk to Alex himself and she told him that she and Jason were getting divorced, which shocked him.

When Greg told him the press was putting out feelers about Alex's meltdown, Chip said to shut them down. Chip then got a call from Fred, who had heard from his property channel that someone from TMS was trying to interview the private firefighters he'd hired to protect his property. When Chip told him it was for a story Bradley was doing, Fred told him to kill the story.

Chip went to Bradley and told her what Fred had said and said it was Fred's network, so it was his choice. However, after Rena came in and said they had to move their setup because the wind had shifted, Chip told Bradley to do the story anyway. That night, Chip called Cory and said he was ready to talk.

Upon their return to New York, Chip met with Cory and told him about some emails he'd found, which included information about transfers, payoffs, and complaints. He wanted to start leaking the story and see if he could get someone to pick it up. Cory said that he needed to wait until he had airtight evidence or he'd only end up ruining his own career instead of Fred's.

The next day, Chip called Mia, Nicky, Layla, and Joel to him and said they had a gap they needed to fill for the show because a story about bird flu needed to be dropped. Mia suggested a pre-taped interview Bradley had done, but Nicky didn't believe it was strong enough. They made a few other suggestions, but Chip decided to go with Bradley's interview. Nicky was upset with this, but Mia reminded him that Chip is his boss. Nicky said Chip was her boss as well so she could stop kissing his ass, which everyone knew was her specialty. There was silence until Nicky apologized. Mia tried to move the conversation on, but Chip refused to and told Nicky to pack his things and get out. Nicky was upset at being fired for saying something to Mia that everyone else had been saying behind her back for months. Chip repeated his order to get out and went to his office. Mia followed him and said that he needed to hire Nicky back. Him firing Nicky wasn't helping her like he thought it was and she wanted to more than a woman who had sex with Mitch. Chip was angry that he didn't have sex with Mitch, but he was still paying for it.

Later, Chip sat down for an interview with Maggie Brener. He talked about Bradley's worked and the transition period when she started. After he finished talking, Maggie said she had enough and packed up to leave. He said she didn't ask about Mitch, but she said she didn't have time for that. Chip then hinted at a bigger story to be told about UBA. She didn't believe that he'd suddenly grown a conscience, which led her to beleive there was a bigger story than he was offering and that was the story she wanted.

Rena later came and got Chip when Mia took a microphone and spoke over the speaker about the rumors about her and Mitch. Chip tried to stop her, but she said she was almost done. He told her to go ahead and she said she just wanted to focus on her work. When she finished, Chip took the mic and told everyone to get back to work.

When Rena learned that Fred was meeting with Marlon Tate as a replacement for Chip, she told Chip about the meeting. Chip was unconcerned, saying that they vetted people for his job every year as a tactic.

Chip then talked to Cory, who had learned that Chip had talked to Maggie. Cory told Chip he knew and told Chip to meet him in his office in two hours. When they met, Cory and Bradley explained that she wanted to interview Mitch on TMS. Chip was opposed to this, as he didn't want to use his show to take Fred down. Cory and Bradley convinced him that this was the only way and if they didn't do it, Mitch would go to YDA and they'd finally overtake TMS in the ratings. Chip also wanted to talk to Alex to try to get her on board, but Cory talked him out of it by saying she was meeting with Marlon Tate herself.

Chip then called Alex and asked if she was okay. She said she was in a weird mood, but they were good.

Chip met with Cory, Bradley, and Mitch at Mitch's place. Mitch told them that Fred knew what he was doing and covered it up. He also told them Hannah could cororborate that, as she'd slept with him in Vegas and then used it to get the head booker job. Chip remembered pushing that promotion through at Fred's request, but not questioning it at the time. As they continued talking about the interview, Chip was wary of Mitch painting himself as the victim. Bradley didn't want to rush it, but Chip reminded her they didn't know when Fred's internal investigation would be completed and he knew he wouldn't work again once it did. Cory agreed that it needed to happen as soon as possible, but Bradley insisted that she needed to talk to Hannah first and she wouldn't do the interview until she had.

When Chip went back to work, he was told that Fred wanted to meet with him. Knowing it was to fire him, Chip thanked his team before going to Fred's office. Fred quickly fired Chip, saying the investigation had implicated him, but both Chip and Fred knew it was because Chip refused to kill the private firefighter story. Chip left the studio and called Bradley, saying they would do the interview the next day, without telling her that he'd been fired.

Chip then went to Bradley's place, where he admitted he'd been fired. He said the interview would still go forward because it was the right thing to do and they needed to nail Fred. It also meant the results of the investigation would never be released, which would benefit him.

Chip met with Rena, informing her of their plan and asking her to let Mitch into the studio because he couldn't.

However, before the interview could go forward, Bradley called Chip and told him it was not happening because Hannah had died. She felt it was their fault for bringing all those memories back up for Hannah. Chip said he understood and he'd tell Mitch. He went to Mitch's apartment building, where he told him they weren't doing the interview and why. Chip then punched Mitch in the face. They got into a physical fight and Chip said that he was the one who leaked the story to the Times. As he left, Chip called Alex and left her a message telling her the same thing and saying he did it because they were going to get rid of Alex despite what Mitch was doing and he needed her around.

Chip then watched from the street as Alex and Bradley took over the airwaves and reported on Fred's actions and how they created a toxic work environment. Alex also admitted to her part in it, saying she should have called out some behaviors and didn't because she was succeeding. Chip watched their broadcast until it was suddenly cut off.

### Time Away from UBA

After being fired from The Morning Show, Chip took a job as a producer at a much smaller station. He enjoyed his work and began seeing a woman. On New Years Eve, he proposed to her and she accepted.

When Bradley learned that Alex would be returning to The Morning Show, she called Chip and asked him for advice on Alex. He advised her to watch out for Alex as Alex was only looking out for Alex. Despite this, when Alex came to his place to ask him to come back and be her producer, he accepted.

### Alex's Interview and Return to TMS

Chip's first day back as Alex's producer was the day she had her interview with Laura Peterson. Chip wanted Alex to go mingle around the room before Laura's arrival, but she declined and said Chip could go mingle himself if he wanted. Outside the room, Chip saw Cory and was introduced to Stella. He then excused himself to go back to check on Alex. After the interview, Alex was upset because she felt one of the questions Laura asked, about her relationship with Mitch, was inappropriate. Chip told her the question he'd approved was very different from the one she'd asked in the interview. Chip tried to calm Alex down, saying it wasn't as bad as she was seeing it and since she was writing her own book, people could get their answers about Mitch directly from her.

Chip then returned to the studio to mixed reactions. While Layla was upset about his return, Rena was happy to see him and said the others would have to get used to it. Chip was then just offstage when the official announcement was made.

Chip was happy to be back at TMS as Alex resumed her duties. While he watched backstage as The Foo Fighters performed, he danced with Rena. After the show, Chip told Alex she'd done well and asked her to consider doing the Vegas debate. She insisted that she wouldn't. Next, Chip sat in while Stella tried to convince Alex to do it, but Alex again refused. Once Stella was gone, she expressed doubt that Stella knew what she was doing due to her age and inexperience. For example, she told Chip that Stella didn't want to bring him back, which Chip didn't know.

Later, when Mia learned their special guest for the day wasn't going to make it to the studio in time, Chip chimed in with a suggested only to have Mia tell him not to undermine her with her staff.

Chip was helping Alex prepare for the debate when she left abruptly. By the time she returned, he'd sent everyone else away. She asked Chip to get her a copy of Maggie's book, but he said there was no way they'd give it to him. Then he asked Alex to stay to meet Madeleine, but she insisted she needed to leave immediately because her back was hurting.

Chip then went to Vegas with the UBA team. On the flight there, he bickered with Alex, who was irritated that Laura was on the plane with them. When they arrived, they did a mock debate to practice, which Chip said went well. On their way back to Alex's hotel room, they argued more about Maggie's book. Chip admitted he'd spoken to Maggie, but only off the record. Alex accused him of trying to look like a hero regardless of how it made Alex look. When Alex entered her hotel room, Chip left.

After leaving Las Vegas, Alex did not return to work, claiming continued back pain. Chip tried to cover for the fact that Alex wasn't in communication with him by parroting what Isabella said about her. In a meeting with Mia, Stella, and Cory, Chip suggested Laura Peterson as a temporary replacement until Alex was able to return, saying it might motivate her to return more quickly because she hates Laura. Despite Stella's belief that Laura would refuse, Cory called Laura and got her to agree on the spot.

As they watched Laura's first show from backstage, Joel told Chip Alex would hate it and Chip said Alex could call the switchboard like anyone else watching from home. Later during the broadcast, Chip was surprised when Lindsey showed him an article from The Vault reporting that Laura and Bradley were dating. When Bradley walked off the set after finishing her segment, Mia asked where she was going and Chip quietly told her about the story.

After the show ended, Chip confessed to Rena that he hadn't actually been speaking with Alex and had no idea what she was doing. Mia overheard him saying that and was angry that he hadn't been honest when managing Alex was literally his job. She told him to go get her lead anchor back.

Chip went to Alex's apartment, but didn't find her there. Instead, he found Isabella watering her plants. Isabella admitted that Alex had told her not to tell Chip anything about her whereabouts or condition. Isabella got angry with Chip, saying he always messed things up and kept getting second chances.

### Mitch's Death

As time passed, Chip faced increasing pressure to get Alex back into the studio. He left her several increasingly angry voicemails. When he learned that Mitch was dead, he took things to the next level and pretended to be Alex to figure out what the last charge to her credit card was. When he learned it was an airport in Italy, he began to worry that Alex had been with Mitch when he died and was possibly also dead. He got the name of the hospital where Mitch had been taken after his accident and called the hospital, where he learned there was a woman with Mitch at the hospital, making him even more worried.

He went to see Cory, where he told him what he knew about Alex. Cory had him get Isabella into his office. Isabella knew Alex's passwords and used them to find out she'd booked a flight to Teterboro. Chip drove out to the airport to meet the flight and see if she'd actually boarded. He was relieved when Alex got off the plane, but then had to tell her Mitch was dead. She refused to believe it, but he said they were just waiting for a second confirmation. She took Chip's phone and used it to call Paola, who gave them the second confirmation. Alex asked Chip to take her to Paige's house so she could tell her in person. Then she called Mia to tell her that they had their confirmation and she'd let her know when Paige know so they could report it. She also said she wouldn't be coming in to report it herself. When she hung up, Alex got all the voicemails that Chip had left while she was gone. He begged her not to listen to them, but she did, which sparked an argument between the two of them, which ended in them not speaking to one another.

### Alex's Return and COVID Infection

On Alex's first day back at the studio after her trip to Italy, she met with Chip and was surprised to see him as she hadn't heard from him since the day she learned Mitch had died. Chip said he would continue to produce her until she found someone else or got cancelled. He later asked Alex if they were still doing Mitch's memorial and said it wouldn't look good for her if she went. She told him it wasn't his job to take care of her anymore. Despite this, Chip was later the one to find Alex when she tripped on a pair of shoes in her apartment and hit her head.

Chip got a call late at night from Alex, who was at home alone with COVID. She was struggling becuse she didn't want to be alone, so he told her to prop the phone beside her and leave the line open. She turned on FaceTime so they could see each other and they talked for a while.

The next day, Chip went to Cory and pitched to him that they block off an hour of primetime for Alex, ot talk about her experience with COVID, in the hopes it would make it real for people, so they would understand and take it seriously. When Cory received pushback from Stella, he decided to put Alex's show on UBA+ instead.

Chip then went to Alex's place. He lied and told her he had COVID, too, but said he was asymptomatic. He encouraged her to do the show, saying she could make a difference with it. He then spent the day with her, helping her deal with her sickness. That evening, Chip set up all the equipment to record Alex's show. He had written copy for her to read off a teleprompter, but after a few minutes, she deviated from the script briefly before returning to it. When Alex unexpectedly announced on air that Chip had also tested positive, Chip was shocked. He got a call from Madeleine, but ignored it.

Later, when they took a break to air a clip of Anthony Fauci talking about the virus, Chip told Alex she was doing well. While Alex took her temperature, Chip got a call from Titanium Health, saying they had COVID tests. Chip told her that he'd already gotten tested and was negative.

## Relationships

### Romantic

He's been married multiple times.

He was recently engaged.

He is currently dating Isabella.

## Career

Chip was the executive producer of UBA's The Morning Show. He was fired and replaced by Marlon Tate.

## References

1. ↑ Lonely at the Top, 1x08
2. ↑ In the Dark Night of the Soul It's Always 3:30 in the Morning, 1x01
3. ↑ A Seat at the Table, 1x02
4. ↑ Chaos Is the New Cocaine, 1x03
5. ↑ That Woman, 1x04
6. ↑ No One's Gonna Harm You, Not While I'm Around, 1x05
7. ↑ The Pendulum Swings, 1x06
8. ↑ Open Waters, 1x07
9. ↑ Play the Queen, 1x09
10. ↑ The Interview, 1x10
11. ↑ My Least Favorite Year, 2x01
12. ↑ It's Like The Flu, 2x02
13. ↑ Laura, 2x03
14. ↑ Kill the Fatted Calf, 2x04
15. ↑ Ghosts, 2x05
16. ↑ A Private Person, 2x06
17. ↑ Confirmations, 2x08
18. ↑ Testimony, 2x09
19. ↑ Fever, 2x10
20. ↑ My Least Favorite Year, 2x01