"President Dad And His Children": People Absolutely Adored "The West Wing" Cast Reuniting At This Year's Emmy Awards

BuzzFeed
·5-min read

The 2024 Emmy Awards were this past weekend. The night honored the very best in TV from the last year.

Richard Gadd wearing a black tuxedo with a tartan kilt holds an Emmy award, speaking with Jean Smart in a navy blue gown at the Emmys
Christopher Polk / Variety / Getty Images

Some of the biggest winners included Shōgun, Hacks, Baby Reindeer, and The Bear, who all won big in the overall program categories as well as the acting ones.

Anna Sawai in a red gown and Hiroyuki Sanada in a suit, both holding Emmys, celebrating on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards event
Anna Sawai in a red gown and Hiroyuki Sanada in a suit, both holding Emmys, celebrating on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards event
From left to right: Jeremy Allen White, Liza Colón-Zayas, Ebon Moss-Bachrach in formal wear holding Emmy Awards on a red carpet
From left to right: Jeremy Allen White, Liza Colón-Zayas, Ebon Moss-Bachrach in formal wear holding Emmy Awards on a red carpet

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images, Gilbert Flores / Variety / Getty Images

Shōgun notably made history with a record 18 wins, the most for a single season of TV. It also became the first majority non-English language series to win Outstanding Drama Series.

And while the night celebrated the best on TV currently, it also had some nostalgia. Several casts reunited on stage throughout the evening, including one of the best drama series of all time: The West Wing.

John Spencer, Martin Sheen, and Richard Schiff stand around a desk in an office setting, with flags in the background, from a scene in "The West Wing."
NBC / Everett Collection

The West Wing originally aired from 1999 to 2006 and followed President Bartlet's administration. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the show won 26 Emmy Awards — out of a whopping 95 nominations — over the course of its seven-season run, taking home Outstanding Drama Series four times.

A large group of actors and creators from "The West Wing," dressed in formal attire, pose with their Emmy awards against a backdrop with Emmy logos
Kevin Winter / Getty Images

To celebrate the show's 25th anniversary this year, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, and Richard Schiff, who starred as President Bartlet, C.J. Cregg, Charlie Young, Donna Moss, and Toby Ziegler respectively, reunited on stage to crown Shōgun as the Best Drama winner.

Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Moroney, Richard Schiff, and Allison Janney pose in formal attire in an ornate room with presidential decor

The curtain rose on an Oval Office set, as Martin, Allison, Dulé, Janel, and Richard stood on the Emmys stage, and I couldn't help but get really emotional.

Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Moroney, Richard Schiff, and Allison Janney pose in formal attire in an ornate room with presidential decor
Christopher Polk / Variety / Getty Images

Prior to giving out the big award, the cast poked fun at the current political landscape, with Allison joking, "It's hard to believe that just 25 years ago, Aaron and the writers actually had to use their imaginations to create interesting plotlines for The West Wing."

Allison Janney wearing a strapless black dress and diamond necklace, standing in front of a blurred backdrop with presidential insignia
ABC

Richard continued, saying, "Unlike today, where storylines could be plucked right off the news — storylines that writers would have deemed a bit far-fetched, if not utterly ridiculous, 25 years ago."

Richard Schiff in a black tuxedo and Allison Janney in an elegant black and red gown with long black gloves, presenting at the Emmys
ABC

Then, Janel added, "Our political landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, but two things have not changed — the importance of making sure for everyone to be registered, and to vote..."

Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Moroney, Richard Schiff, and Allison Janney pose in formal attire in an ornate room with presidential decor

Martin continued, saying, "...and the quality of the drama series on television."

ABC

It was a wonderful nostalgic moment for any fan of The West Wing, and it was great to see one of the best drama series crown a new winner.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Kevin Winter / Getty Images

While this isn't the first time the cast has reunited in recent years, people were very emotional since this marks the show's 25th anniversary. Shortly after the reunion played out on stage at the Emmy Awards, fans flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to express how much they still love this show and the cast:

If you love what you read, give your favorite tweets a like and the users a follow to make your timeline a more fun place to be.

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Kevin Winter / Frank Micelotta Archive / Lee Celano / AFP / NBC / Getty Images / Via Twitter: @ainsleyhcyes

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ABC / Via Twitter: @ainsleyhcyes

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ABC / Via Twitter: @flowersinapril_

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Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / Via x.com

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ABC / Via Twitter: @kennysroys

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ABC / Via x.com

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Scott Nelson / AFP / Getty Images / Via x.com

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NBC / Via Twitter: @sinistercherubs

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NBC / ABC / Via x.com

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ABC / Via x.com

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New York Times / NBC / Via x.com

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Twitter: @sapphiccjcregg / Via Twitter: @sapphiccjcregg

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Chad Salvador / Variety / Getty Images / Via x.com

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Scott Nelson / AFP / Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images / Via x.com

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ABC / Via Twitter: @BreeanaFlannery

Check out all of our Emmys coverage here.

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