Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she was the White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet. After that, she serves as the president's chief of staff until the end of the show in 2006. The character is partially inspired by real-life White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, who worked as a consultant on the show. Aaron Sorkin, the show's creator, designed C.J. to be assertive and independent from the show's men; though she is portrayed as a smart, strong, witty, and thoughtful character, she is frequently patronized and objectified by her male coworkers. She is sometimes shown as overly emotional, a trait criticized by reviewers as a misogynistic stereotype. Her onscreen romance with Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield), a senior White House reporter, was also criticized by commentators as giving the impression she was betraying her coworkers. Initially, she is portrayed as politically inept, but she quickly becomes one of the most savvy characters on the show. Despite C.J.'s shortcomings and surroundings, she is considered among the best characters ever written by Aaron Sorkin. The character proved to be Janney's breakthrough role and earned her widespread critical acclaim, as well as multiple offers to enter the real-life American political realm. For her performance, she received four Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as four Screen Actors Guild Awards and four nominations for the Golden Globe Award. She reprised her role at a real-life 2016 White House press briefing, the 2017 Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and a 2020 special episode to benefit When We All Vote. Creation On The West Wing, C.J. Cregg is played by Allison Janney. The character is said to have been partially inspired by Dee Dee Myers, who worked as the White House Press Secretary to Bill Clinton and was a consultant to the show. West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin denied this, commenting that "I'm a fiction writer. I make stuff up". Casting Aaron Sorkin had previously seen Janney in the 1998 film Primary Colors and was impressed by a scene in which Janney tripped down a flight of stairs. Janel Moloney tried out for the role, but she was asked to play assistant Donna Moss instead. Moloney later became a regular on the show.