Aaron Sorkin Calls Biden's Exit from Presidential Race a 'West Wing'Moment at White House Event

Mar. 15, 2025

President Joe Biden; Aaron Sorkin.Photo:Getty(2)

Getty(2)

Art imitates life according toWest WingcreatorAaron Sorkin!

On Friday, Sept. 20, First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenhosted aWest Wing25th Anniversary event at the White House Rose Garden. PEOPLE was on hand as some of the cast of the political series (minusBradley Whitford,Allison JanneyandRob Lowe) were honored.

As Biden, 73, approached the podium to address her guests, theWest Wingtheme song began to play.

“We just came from the Oval but even though [President]Joe [Biden], Joe is away hosting leaders of Australia and India and Japan in Delaware, he wanted to make sure that President Bartlet and his staff had a chance to see the Oval Office again,” she said.

Martin Sheen attends a White House celebration of the 25th anniversary of “The West Wing”.Shannon Finney/Getty

Shannon Finney/Getty

Dr. Biden then introducedMartin Sheen, who portrayed the idealistic Democratic president Josiah Bartlet on the Emmy-winning television series.

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Next up wasWest Wingcreator and writer Sorkin, 63, who gave his remarks.

“Our cast will live on as one of the best in the history of television,” he said.

Aaron Sorkin attends a White House celebration of the 25th anniversary of “The West Wing”.Shannon Finney/Getty

The series, which debuted on NBC on Sept. 22, 1999, ran for 7 seasons until 2006 and picked up 26Emmysalong the way.

Sorkin shared that Lowe, 60, (Sam Seaborn); Janney, 64, (C.J. Cregg); and Whitfield, also 64, (Josh Lyman) weren’t able to make the White House gathering because they were on-set.

“The rest of us are apparently unemployed,” Sorkin joked, as Dr. Biden playfully teased, “Not yet.”

Some of the show’s more dramatic fictionalized moments included President Bartlet being investigated for not revealing his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, to a national security leak surrounding a secret military space shuttle.

“West Wingmoments do happen and Dr. Biden and we saw proof of that on the morning of July 21st,” Sorkin also said, referring to the datePresident Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race.

THE WEST WING — SEASON 1.Steve Schapiro/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Steve Schapiro/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Sheen, Janney, Janel Moloney,Dulé Hilland Richard Schiff recently had aWest Wingreunion when the cast members joined together to present the award for outstanding drama series at the76th annual Primetime Emmy Awardson Sunday, Sept. 15.

While onstage, Schiff, 69, briefly weighed in on how their show would have had a field day with today’s political climate had it still been airing.

“Today, where storylines can be plucked right off the news, storylines that writers would have deemed a bit far-fetched, if notutterly ridiculous, 25 years ago,” he said.

“Our political landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, but two things have not changed: the importance of everyone making sure to be registered and to vote,” Moloney, 54, added.

source: people.com