The cast of “West Wing” reunites for the 25th anniversary at the Emmys and criticizes modern politics as “completely ridiculous”

The cast of “The West Wing” reunited onstage at the Emmys on Sunday night to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary next week.

Stars Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney and Richard Schiff were on stage during the ceremony to present the award for Best Drama Series.

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Although it was a short segment, the cast appeared on a recreation of the set. They also poked fun at the modern political climate.

“It is hard to believe that just 25 years ago [creator] Aaron [Sorkin] and the writers actually had to use their imagination to come up with interesting storylines for 'The West Wing,'” Janney joked.

“Unlike today, where storylines could be taken straight from the news – storylines that writers 25 years ago would have considered somewhat far-fetched, if not downright ridiculous,” Schiff added.

Bradley Whitford, who played assistant human resources manager Josh Lyman, was unable to attend the Emmys due to production work in Budapest, but wrote a touching post on X/Twitter.

“It breaks my heart that I can't be at the Emmys tonight with my West Wing family, or at the White House later this week to celebrate our 25th anniversary, but I'm in Budapest on another White House set pretending to work for another administration. (I know. I need to work on my repertoire),” he wrote. “My God, the script of The West Wing. These characters. Played by people I love and admire and get to be part of a family with for the rest of my life. As Janel said in her beautiful piece, somehow it was and still is a privilege. A gift.”

“The West Wing” premiered on NBC on September 22, 1999, exactly 25 years ago this coming Sunday. The series starred Sheen as President Josiah “Jed” Bartlett, Janny as press secretary CJ Cregg, Hill as Bartlett's personal assistant Charlie Young, Moloney as executive assistant Donna Moss, Schiff as communications director Toby Ziegler, and Rob Lowe as Samuel Seaborn, deputy communications director.

During its run, The West Wing won 27 Emmy Awards from 98 nominations. The series also received six Screen Actors Guild Awards and 20 nominations, two Golden Globes from 20 nominations, three Directors Guild Awards, four Producers Guild Awards, five Television Critics Association Awards and many, many more. The series ran for seven seasons between 1999 and 2006, peaking with Season 3, which drew an average of 17.2 million viewers. More than 25 million viewers watched the Season 2 premiere, a high point for the series.

Since its end, The West Wing has often been cited as one of the best shows of all time. Its “ping-pong” dialogue and style have been parodied in many other television series, talk shows, and real-life political campaign videos. In 2020, the cast reunited virtually to generate pre-election attention and drive voter registration. This election year, many similar political series like Veep, Scandal, and Parks and Recreation have gone viral online because their oddly prescient storylines now resemble real-life headlines.

Like last year's Emmy Awards, this ceremony brought together several famous TV stars, including the casts of “Happy Days” and “SNL.”

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