Donna Moss
Encyclopedia
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character
played by Janel Moloney
on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character
during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular. She becomes part of the regular cast the beginning of the second season.
For most of the series, Donna is Senior Assistant to Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Josh Lyman
(or, as she jokingly calls herself in one episode, the "Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff"). Although all of the senior staff's assistants are continuing characters with personal backgrounds, Donna is the most well-defined and frequently featured staff member on the assistant level, and her difficult, semi-romantic relationship with Josh is a major plot device during the later seasons of the show.
, to an Irish-American father and an Italian-American mother. Donna's United States citizenship was briefly revoked after the Minnesota town in which she was born ended up in Canada due to border changes. However, her citizenship was quickly restored after the discovery of a grandfather clause in the law. Donna has been identified by Josh as Protestant. He also made a remark about her Catholic school uniform, although it could have been his sarcasm.
She later moved to Wisconsin
where she attended University of Wisconsin–Madison
and dropped out half-way through to support her boyfriend as he went through medical school. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Donna left Madison and drove to New Hampshire to work for the "Bartlet for America" campaign, even going so far as to pretend she'd already been hired as Josh Lyman
's assistant. Josh discovered the deception but was somewhat amused by it, and impressed by her initiative, eventually hiring her. It is mentioned that she briefly left the campaign to return to her boyfriend, but returned following an incident when, after Donna sprained her ankle in a car accident, her boyfriend chose to meet his friends for a drink rather than immediately pick her up from the hospital.
Donna remained Josh's assistant during Josiah Bartlet
's first presidential term and the beginning of his second. Her job during this time usually took the form of little more than a secretary (albeit in an unusually challenging and glorified environment) until Josh sent her as an observer for an American diplomatic mission to Gaza
in response to her request for opportunities for job growth. While in Gaza, Donna was seriously injured as a result of a terrorist attack on the American convoy
. She gradually recovered from these injuries.
Donna returned to her duties at the White House but eventually quit her job (as depicted in the season 6 episode "Impact Winter") to become senior aide to Will Bailey
- Vice President Bob Russell
's presidential campaign manager (as revealed in the episode "Faith-Based Initiative"). Her new position placed her in direct conflict with Josh, who had convinced US Congressman Matt Santos
to also run for the Democratic nomination, with himself as campaign manager. After Santos won the nomination, Donna applied to work for Josh at the Santos campaign. However, all of the personal attacks on Santos that Donna made as Russell's press secretary forced Josh to refuse her application.
Later, on the Santos campaign trail, Donna was hired (unbeknownst to Josh) by Communications Director Louise "Lou" Thornton as a campaign spokesperson. After Santos's victory, Donna was offered a position in the new administration as Deputy White House Press Secretary
. However, having become close with Helen Santos during the campaign, she was also offered the position as Chief of Staff to the First Lady
. She chose to accept this offer, as she felt she could not work for Josh
while something was also happening between them personally. Her large White House
office, which she was shocked to see, symbolizes her growth since the beginning of the series, when her place of work was a cubicle in Josh's bullpen.
Donna is a Democrat, but is sometimes critical of the logic behind various Democratic Party
policies. Her political debates with Josh, which are often left unresolved, are one of the show's trademark methods of exploring multiple sides of an issue.
, who portrayed Josh Lyman, caught producers' attention early in the series. After seeing Moloney and Whitford perform together in the pilot, Aaron Sorkin added a scene in which Donna argues with Josh to change his shirt before attending a meeting, eventually convincing him by saying, "All the girls think you look really hot in this shirt." Although Mandy Hampton
was originally intended to be Josh's romantic interest, by the end of the show's first season the character has been written out and the role taken over by Donna.
During the first four seasons, the relationship remains in stasis, with neither daring to make any real romantic move on the other. Sorkin admits that he was more inclined to move the relationship forward, but every time he discussed the possibility fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme would shout, "No! Wait another year!" Besides, adds Sorkin, "Sexual and romantic tension is, to me, much more fun than taking the tension away by having the sex and romance."
Other characters occasionally speculate on the pair's relationship. When Donna encourages Josh to ask Joey Lucas
on a date, Joey guesses that Donna is attempting to cover her own feelings for Josh through misdirection. During her first meeting with Josh, Amy Gardner
asks him if he is dating his assistant, and later asks Donna directly, "Are you in love with Josh?", although the show cuts to another scene before viewers can see the answer. When Donna recruits Josh to help her get a date with Jack Reese
, Josh's behavior leads Jack to wonder whether he is getting "in between anything".
Following Sorkin and Schlamme's departure from the series at the end of the fourth season, the relationship takes some new turns, with Donna attempting to broaden her horizons past Josh and pursue her own social life outside of the White House. When Donna is badly injured in a terrorist attack in Gaza, Josh rushes overseas to keep vigil at her bedside at a military hospital in Germany. In the sixth season episode "Impact Winter", Donna finally breaks loose and quits her job as assistant to Josh, seeing no chance of career advancement. She joins the Russell campaign, which later puts her in direct confrontation with her former boss.
After Santos beats Russell for the Democratic nomination, Donna wants to return as Josh's deputy in season 7 premiere "The Ticket
," but he finds himself forced to reject her as she is on record trashing his candidate while she was still working for the other team. During their conversation he reveals that he misses her "every day." Donna is eventually hired anyway.
In the season seven episode "The Cold
", Josh and Donna kiss passionately as she brings him the good news that Congressman Santos has caught up to Vinick
and that they are tied in the national tracking polls. Josh apologizes, saying the kiss was "inappropriate", but Donna says "it was bound to happen sometime." Donna talks to Will, who says pursuing a relationship with Josh wouldn't be inappropriate, and to C.J. about the matter. Later in the episode, Donna discreetly leaves the key to her hotel room on the table for Josh, but Ronna Beckman
notices the key before Josh can retrieve it and Edith Ortega returns the key to Donna.
In "Election Day
", Josh and Donna consummate their relationship, sleeping together twice, both times on her initiative. In "Transition
", Donna gives Josh four weeks to figure out "what they want from each other." She insists that if this cannot happen within four weeks, their relationship will remain in a constant state of ambiguity, which is not what Donna wants. After Josh blows up at Otto concerning the location of Josh's BlackBerry
, his deputy-of-choice Sam Seaborn
threatens Josh that he won't stay on unless Josh takes a vacation. Josh wisely decides to take a break from work before the inauguration and at the end of the episode Josh and Donna go on vacation together.
In the series finale "Tomorrow
", Josh and Donna wake up in bed together on the morning of Inauguration Day.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Janel Moloney
Janel Moloney
Janel Moloney is an American actress, best known for her role as Donnatella "Donna" Moss on the television series The West Wing.-Personal life:...
on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character
Recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular. She becomes part of the regular cast the beginning of the second season.
For most of the series, Donna is Senior Assistant to Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Deputy White House Chief of Staff
The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, who is the senior aide to the President of the United States. The Deputy Chief of Staff usually has an office in the West Wing and is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the White House...
Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
(or, as she jokingly calls herself in one episode, the "Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff"). Although all of the senior staff's assistants are continuing characters with personal backgrounds, Donna is the most well-defined and frequently featured staff member on the assistant level, and her difficult, semi-romantic relationship with Josh is a major plot device during the later seasons of the show.
Character biography
Donna was born outside of Warroad, MinnesotaWarroad, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 657 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 766 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.65% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 7.38% Native American,...
, to an Irish-American father and an Italian-American mother. Donna's United States citizenship was briefly revoked after the Minnesota town in which she was born ended up in Canada due to border changes. However, her citizenship was quickly restored after the discovery of a grandfather clause in the law. Donna has been identified by Josh as Protestant. He also made a remark about her Catholic school uniform, although it could have been his sarcasm.
She later moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
where she attended University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and dropped out half-way through to support her boyfriend as he went through medical school. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Donna left Madison and drove to New Hampshire to work for the "Bartlet for America" campaign, even going so far as to pretend she'd already been hired as Josh Lyman
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
's assistant. Josh discovered the deception but was somewhat amused by it, and impressed by her initiative, eventually hiring her. It is mentioned that she briefly left the campaign to return to her boyfriend, but returned following an incident when, after Donna sprained her ankle in a car accident, her boyfriend chose to meet his friends for a drink rather than immediately pick her up from the hospital.
Donna remained Josh's assistant during Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
's first presidential term and the beginning of his second. Her job during this time usually took the form of little more than a secretary (albeit in an unusually challenging and glorified environment) until Josh sent her as an observer for an American diplomatic mission to Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
in response to her request for opportunities for job growth. While in Gaza, Donna was seriously injured as a result of a terrorist attack on the American convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
. She gradually recovered from these injuries.
Donna returned to her duties at the White House but eventually quit her job (as depicted in the season 6 episode "Impact Winter") to become senior aide to Will Bailey
Will Bailey
William "Will" Bailey, is a fictional character played by Joshua Malina on the television serial drama The West Wing, holding various posts in the White House Office of Communications, Office of the Vice President and a backbencher Congressman .-Character biography:Will grew up in Belgium, as his...
- Vice President Bob Russell
Bob Russell (The West Wing)
Robert 'Bingo Bob' Russell is a fictional character played by Gary Cole on the television serial drama The West Wing.After the resignation of Vice President John Hoynes due to a sex scandal in May 2003, the Bartlet Administration was forced to replace him with another Democrat...
's presidential campaign manager (as revealed in the episode "Faith-Based Initiative"). Her new position placed her in direct conflict with Josh, who had convinced US Congressman Matt Santos
Matt Santos
Matthew Vincente "Matt" Santos is a fictional character on the American television show The West Wing, played by Jimmy Smits. His initial appearance is as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Houston, Texas. According to West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie, Santos was based on the then...
to also run for the Democratic nomination, with himself as campaign manager. After Santos won the nomination, Donna applied to work for Josh at the Santos campaign. However, all of the personal attacks on Santos that Donna made as Russell's press secretary forced Josh to refuse her application.
Later, on the Santos campaign trail, Donna was hired (unbeknownst to Josh) by Communications Director Louise "Lou" Thornton as a campaign spokesperson. After Santos's victory, Donna was offered a position in the new administration as Deputy White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
. However, having become close with Helen Santos during the campaign, she was also offered the position as Chief of Staff to the First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
. She chose to accept this offer, as she felt she could not work for Josh
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
while something was also happening between them personally. Her large White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
office, which she was shocked to see, symbolizes her growth since the beginning of the series, when her place of work was a cubicle in Josh's bullpen.
Donna is a Democrat, but is sometimes critical of the logic behind various Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
policies. Her political debates with Josh, which are often left unresolved, are one of the show's trademark methods of exploring multiple sides of an issue.
Relationship with Josh Lyman
The chemistry between Janel Moloney and Bradley WhitfordBradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
, who portrayed Josh Lyman, caught producers' attention early in the series. After seeing Moloney and Whitford perform together in the pilot, Aaron Sorkin added a scene in which Donna argues with Josh to change his shirt before attending a meeting, eventually convincing him by saying, "All the girls think you look really hot in this shirt." Although Mandy Hampton
Mandy Hampton
Dr. Madeline 'Mandy' Hampton is a fictional character played by Moira Kelly on the American serial drama television series The West Wing. She was White House media consultant during the first season of the show, and the former girlfriend of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, with whom...
was originally intended to be Josh's romantic interest, by the end of the show's first season the character has been written out and the role taken over by Donna.
During the first four seasons, the relationship remains in stasis, with neither daring to make any real romantic move on the other. Sorkin admits that he was more inclined to move the relationship forward, but every time he discussed the possibility fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme would shout, "No! Wait another year!" Besides, adds Sorkin, "Sexual and romantic tension is, to me, much more fun than taking the tension away by having the sex and romance."
Other characters occasionally speculate on the pair's relationship. When Donna encourages Josh to ask Joey Lucas
Joey Lucas
Josephine "Joey" Lucas, is a fictional character on the television serial drama The West Wing, a California-based pollster and political operative played by Marlee Matlin...
on a date, Joey guesses that Donna is attempting to cover her own feelings for Josh through misdirection. During her first meeting with Josh, Amy Gardner
Amy Gardner
Amelia "Amy" Gardner is a fictional character on the American television series The West Wing, portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker. Politically skilled and a strong advocate on feminist causes, the character holds various jobs throughout the timeline depicted on The West Wing, both in public-advocacy...
asks him if he is dating his assistant, and later asks Donna directly, "Are you in love with Josh?", although the show cuts to another scene before viewers can see the answer. When Donna recruits Josh to help her get a date with Jack Reese
Jack Reese
Lieutenant Commander Jack Reese, U.S. Navy, is a fictional character played by Christian Slater on television serial drama, The West Wing.Upon commissioning, he evidently entered the Navy's Submarine Service...
, Josh's behavior leads Jack to wonder whether he is getting "in between anything".
Following Sorkin and Schlamme's departure from the series at the end of the fourth season, the relationship takes some new turns, with Donna attempting to broaden her horizons past Josh and pursue her own social life outside of the White House. When Donna is badly injured in a terrorist attack in Gaza, Josh rushes overseas to keep vigil at her bedside at a military hospital in Germany. In the sixth season episode "Impact Winter", Donna finally breaks loose and quits her job as assistant to Josh, seeing no chance of career advancement. She joins the Russell campaign, which later puts her in direct confrontation with her former boss.
After Santos beats Russell for the Democratic nomination, Donna wants to return as Josh's deputy in season 7 premiere "The Ticket
The Ticket (The West Wing)
"The Ticket" is episode 133 of The West Wing, and the first episode of the seventh season.-Plot:The season opener starts with a scene from three years in the future; a reunion of several main characters at the opening of Bartlet's Presidential library. References are made to the lives of the...
," but he finds himself forced to reject her as she is on record trashing his candidate while she was still working for the other team. During their conversation he reveals that he misses her "every day." Donna is eventually hired anyway.
In the season seven episode "The Cold
The Cold
"The Cold" is episode 145 of The West Wing. This episode contained the final performance of cast member John Spencer .-Plot:...
", Josh and Donna kiss passionately as she brings him the good news that Congressman Santos has caught up to Vinick
Arnold Vinick
Arnold Vinick is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing played by Alan Alda.-Biography:A Republican senator from California and Republican presidential nominee, he is narrowly defeated by Democrat Matt Santos in the 2006 presidential election, with Vinick winning the popular...
and that they are tied in the national tracking polls. Josh apologizes, saying the kiss was "inappropriate", but Donna says "it was bound to happen sometime." Donna talks to Will, who says pursuing a relationship with Josh wouldn't be inappropriate, and to C.J. about the matter. Later in the episode, Donna discreetly leaves the key to her hotel room on the table for Josh, but Ronna Beckman
Ronna Beckman
Ronna Beckman is a character in the NBC television series The West Wing. She is portrayed by Karis Campbell. The character first appeared during the program's sixth season. She was present from the very beginning of Matt Santos's campaign for the Presidency, eventually becoming the Executive...
notices the key before Josh can retrieve it and Edith Ortega returns the key to Donna.
In "Election Day
Election Day Part I
"Election Day Part I" is episode 148 of The West Wing. It is set during the 2006 presidential election.- Plot :The episode opens with the Santos campaign staff enjoying drinking in a hotel bar and revealing the various "intimate relationships" between the staffers as they all head off to bed...
", Josh and Donna consummate their relationship, sleeping together twice, both times on her initiative. In "Transition
Transition (The West Wing)
-Plot:Josh's astoundingly hectic post-election schedule begins to catch up to him also with lack of sleep, and friends and co-workers worry that if he doesn't take some time off very soon, he won't be able to function as Chief of Staff in the long run...
", Donna gives Josh four weeks to figure out "what they want from each other." She insists that if this cannot happen within four weeks, their relationship will remain in a constant state of ambiguity, which is not what Donna wants. After Josh blows up at Otto concerning the location of Josh's BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, his deputy-of-choice Sam Seaborn
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
threatens Josh that he won't stay on unless Josh takes a vacation. Josh wisely decides to take a break from work before the inauguration and at the end of the episode Josh and Donna go on vacation together.
In the series finale "Tomorrow
Tomorrow (The West Wing)
"Tomorrow" is the 154th episode and the series finale of the American television show The West Wing. It originally aired on May 14, 2006.-Plot:...
", Josh and Donna wake up in bed together on the morning of Inauguration Day.