The White House press team got a genuinely jaw-dropping surprise on Friday (April 29) when The West Wing's Allison Janney dropped by for a visit.
When the president's press spokesman Josh Earnest ran late at the dentist, Janney stepped up to the podium to address reporters in a real-life scene reminiscent of her years playing C.J. Cregg on The West Wing.
"Let's be honest, I'm better at this than [Josh] is, anyway," Janney joked in her trademark swaggering tone.
The real reason for Janney's visit emerged moments later when Josh arrived in time for the two to raise awareness for those battling substance abuse.
Janney famously won four Emmys for her role as White House press secretary (and later chief-of-staff) C.J. Cregg on The West Wing.
Since The West Wing ended, Allison added an even-more-impressive three further Emmy Award wins to her resume for playing a recovering addict on Mom and for a guest turn in Masters of Sex.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
