In The West Wing, C.J. Cregg becomes White House Chief of Staff in season 6 following Leo McGarry's resignation due to a heart attack. She is chosen because she possesses a calm, analytical demeanor, is a trusted senior advisor, and can offer a fresh perspective while managing the final, challenging years of the Bartlet administration.
In the sixth-season episode "Liftoff", she was promoted to succeed Leo McGarry as White House Chief of Staff, following Leo's resignation after a major heart attack. She remains chief of staff until the final episode, leaving the White House after the inauguration of President Matt Santos.
In Mandy's case, though, it was simply because the character didn't gel with the show. 'By mutual agreement we let Moira Kelly go after the first season,' says Sorkin. 'Moira is a tremendous actress and it was my failing alone that her character didn't work out.
This episode finally reveals the source of the enmity between C.J. Cregg and John Hoynes - the fact that he seduced her into a one-night stand, which she greatly regrets.
For most of the series, the Chief of Staff is Leo McGarry. For the last two years of the Bartlet Administration, C.J. Cregg is Chief of Staff, while McGarry starts tackling other roles, including senior counselor to the president, organizer of the 2006 Democratic National Convention, and candidate for Vice President.
C.J.’s Secret Service Comes with a Promotion | The West Wing
Why was C.J. Cregg made Chief of Staff?
Midway through Bartlet's second term, Leo McGarry suffered a near-fatal heart attack and was forced to resign his position as White House Chief of Staff. At Leo's advice, Bartlet named C.J.
Real-life drama hit the production of The West Wing during production of the NBC show's seventh season, when John Spencer, the Emmy-winning actor behind White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack at age 58 on December 16, 2005.
Toward the end of last season, Vice President John Hoynes resigns after it was learned that he was romantically linked and providing state secrets to a Washington socialite, and she was on the verge of publishing a tell-all book.
On April 7, 2020, it was announced that Grisham left her role as White House Press Secretary and returned to the East Wing to be Melania Trump's chief of staff, effective that same day.
Ainsley never became a regular character on the show; Sorkin was concerned about the feasibility of including another character in every episode, telling Empire magazine that he "already had eight mouths to feed".
Lowe was drawn to the role because of his personal love of politics, and his longstanding friendship with Martin Sheen, who was cast as President Josiah Bartlet. When the show premiered, Lowe was considered the lead, and the pilot centered on his character.
Each of the principal actors made approximately $75,000 per episode, with the established Sheen receiving a confirmed salary of $300,000. Disparities in cast salaries led to very public contract disputes, particularly by Janney, Schiff, Spencer, and Whitford.
Following a private meeting between McGarry and Bartlet in the Oval Office to discuss troop deployment in Kazakhstan, a scene which exhibits the closeness of their relationship, Josh Lyman asks him: "Everything okay?" McGarry answers with the character's last words on screen: "Yeah."
Josh's position in the Bartlet administration is temporarily compromised after he leaks information to the press about an anonymous hold on military promotions placed by Idaho Senator Chris Carrick.
The two have a heartfelt reconciliation, with Toby advising her to take a leap of faith when C.J. finds herself at a personal and professional crossroad. Despite strong mixed emotions, Bartlet's final official act as president is to pardon Toby and thus spare him from having to serve his prison sentence.
He made his decision known immediately after President Trump appointed financier Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director. In the weeks leading up to the resignation announcement, Spicer had sought "a more strategic communications role" in the White House.
The average salary for a chief of staff is $144,096 per year in Los Angeles, CA. 36 salaries taken from job postings on Indeed in the past 36 months (updated January 7, 2026).
Rob Lowe says leaving The West Wing was the best thing he ever did. Lowe doesn't appear to have any regrets either. "I walked away from the most popular girl at school, but I also knew that it was a super-unhealthy relationship," the star explained.
The only three members of the main cast, both past and present, missing from Leo (John Spencer)'s funeral service are Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), Kate Harper (Mary McCormack) and Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly).
Considers his late The West Wing (1999) co-star John Spencer his best friend. Like Spencer, Sheen successfully recovered from drug and alcohol addictions.
Will left President Bartlet's staff soon after the appointment of Representative Bob Russell (D-CO) as Vice President of the United States, when he accepted Russell's offer to become his chief of staff and strategist.
Shortly after President Bartlet's reelection, Amy was hired as the First Lady's Chief of Staff. She resigned after President Bartlet learned Amy was using Abigail Bartlet's name to increase funding for violence prevention without her knowledge.
