Melissa McCarthy, like many other highly successful people, starts her day early. The Oscar-nominated actress tells The New York Times Magazine that she's up at 4:30 every morning.
But the actress and producer doesn't immediately begin checking email, exercising or even reading the news. Instead, she eases into the day by making coffee and watching reruns.
"I treat myself right," says McCarthy, who prefers old episodes of "Knight Rider" or "The Incredible Hulk" starring Lou Ferrigno. The Hulk is "great," she adds. "The music. There's. So. Much. Score."
She's not the only successful person to make time for herself in the morning: President of Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson, who rises at 4 a.m., says she can't start her day without taking a bath: "My bath time is essential personal time. I take a bath every morning and use the time to decompress and relax."
Amazon CEO and self-made billionaire Jeff Bezos also carves out time for himself. "I like to putter in the mornings," he said at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., in September 2018. "I like to read the newspaper, I like to have coffee, I like to have breakfast with my kids before they go to school. My puttering time is very important to me."
Only after enjoying a little TV does McCarthy start interacting with the outside world, she tells the Times Magazine. She'll go outside and grab one newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, which is delivered to her front door, and then read another, the New York Times, on her iPad.
She balances out the heavy news by reading National Geographic, she adds: "Let's talk about polar bears and the toucan because it's so random and someone is taking these beautiful pictures. That's what the world is. It's not borders. Of course, it's all that, too, but, like, let's also remember how amazing the whole planet is."
McCarthy, whose most recent movie, the 2018 drama "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is in theaters now, spent decades struggling to make it in Hollywood. At one point, she couldn't withdraw cash from an ATM because her bank account balance was under $5. But after her breakthrough performance in the 2011 comedy "Bridesmaids," McCarthy rose quickly: In just five years, she became the third highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
She doesn't just work in front of the camera, either: McCarthy started a production company in 2013 with her husband, comedian Ben Falcone. Together, they have written and produced movies including "Life of the Party" and "The Boss."
McCarthy, who is now worth an estimated $33 million, likes to finish her days by treating herself, too. As she tells the Times Magazine, her evenings end with her browsing Pinterest and Etsy on her iPad while soaking in the bath tub.
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