Sherry Palmer
Encyclopedia
Sherry Palmer is a fictional character
on the television series 24
, played by Penny Johnson Jerald
. She is the wife, later ex-wife, of US President David Palmer
and features prominently in the first three seasons.
David Palmer
— an African-American with a chance at the White House
. Although it appears their relationship is loving, David begins to doubt whether he can trust Sherry after he learns that she covered up their son Keith's accidental killing of the rapist of his sister (their daughter) Nicole, and is willing to continue the cover-up in order to protect his chance of winning the election. His suspicions are confirmed when she opens a safe and destroys what she believes to be Keith's tape incriminating Carl Webb, a decoy planted by Palmer to test how far she would go. Over the course of the first season (taking place over one day, as each season of the show does), she revealed herself to be willing to do anything, including committing treason
and murder
, to secure her husband's presidency
. At one point, she coerces Palmer's speechwriter, Patty Brooks, to attempt to seduce him into having an affair in order to feed off information from him and report it to her, as she feels her husband is not confiding in her enough. Many of her actions showed little regard for the potential consequences to those besides her husband; she reports that he survived the Drazens' attempt to kill David with a bomb in a cell phone despite Jack wanting the terrorists to believe that Palmer was dead so that Kim would be spared. She expressed no hesitation or regret for her actions, saying that she wished to protect her husband's candidacy, causing Palmer to realize that she had lost touch with what it meant to be part of a family. At the end of the day, Palmer tells her he was going to file for divorce
. In addition to many personal reasons, he indicated that she was not fit to be First Lady
.
retreat of her ex-husband (now president) on the day of a nuclear threat
to Los Angeles
. At first, Palmer trusts her claims that members of his staff are seeking to undermine his administration, which help him unravel a conspiracy against him from within the government. However, her questionable actions lead some — including Palmer's aide Lynne Kresge — to continue to be suspicious of her, and it is revealed to David that he is being manipulated by Sherry. By the end of the day, she has proven that she still had feelings for her husband by assisting CTU agent Jack Bauer
in bringing down the terrorists. Although arrested for her acts of treason, Palmer would later assist her in discreetly being released.
bill unless he fires his brother and chief of staff
Wayne
for having an affair with Milliken's wife. Palmer instructs her to find evidence to use against Milliken, and she finds Kevin Kelly, a man who was paid to keep quiet about Milliken's role in his daughter's death. When Kelly mysteriously disappears, Sherry goes to the Milliken residence to speak with his wife Julia and obtain his cell phone. He comes downstairs and she yells at him, causing him to have a heart attack
; she then prevents Julia from giving him his medication, effectively murder
ing him. Sherry persuades Julia not to report it and convinces her ex-husband that if he reported it to the police, he would be implicated as well. Palmer lies to the Chief of Police and gives her an alibi. Disgusted by what she had done, he then tells her to get out of his life forever.
Seeking revenge, Sherry subsequently goes to Keeler and offers him proof that she was indeed present when Milliken died (the bottle of Milliken's heart pills with her fingerprints on it) and that Palmer had therefore obstructed a murder inquiry by giving her a false alibi. Keeler could then use this to blackmail
Palmer into discreetly leaving the presidency, allowing Keeler an easy win in the upcoming election. Palmer and his Chief of Staff Wayne Palmer
find this out, and Wayne and Bruce Foxton, a professional evidence retriever, sneak into her home to try to steal the evidence while Palmer distracts her elsewhere. Sherry, however, grows suspicious, even as Palmer agrees to remarry her, and returns home, where she is knocked unconscious by Foxton, who retrieves the bottle of pills. Wayne flees the house with the evidence, but Julia, who had been left as the only suspect in the murder of her husband, arrives at the house, shooting Sherry dead and turning the gun on herself. Although Palmer is now technically in the clear, his horror at being involved in the deaths of Milliken, Julia and Sherry forces him to discreetly leave the race for re-election.
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...
on the television series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, played by Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Sherry Palmer on the Fox action/drama series 24.-Career:Trained at the Juilliard School,...
. She is the wife, later ex-wife, of US President David Palmer
David Palmer (24 character)
David Palmer, J.D. is a fictional President of the United States played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series 24. Palmer served as the show's second-most prominent protagonist, after Jack Bauer. Throughout the series, Palmer's ex-wife Sherry and brother Wayne are both key figures in...
and features prominently in the first three seasons.
24: Season 1
Originally a recurring guest character, she was married to United States SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
David Palmer
David Palmer (24 character)
David Palmer, J.D. is a fictional President of the United States played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series 24. Palmer served as the show's second-most prominent protagonist, after Jack Bauer. Throughout the series, Palmer's ex-wife Sherry and brother Wayne are both key figures in...
— an African-American with a chance at the 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...
. Although it appears their relationship is loving, David begins to doubt whether he can trust Sherry after he learns that she covered up their son Keith's accidental killing of the rapist of his sister (their daughter) Nicole, and is willing to continue the cover-up in order to protect his chance of winning the election. His suspicions are confirmed when she opens a safe and destroys what she believes to be Keith's tape incriminating Carl Webb, a decoy planted by Palmer to test how far she would go. Over the course of the first season (taking place over one day, as each season of the show does), she revealed herself to be willing to do anything, including committing treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, to secure her husband's presidency
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. At one point, she coerces Palmer's speechwriter, Patty Brooks, to attempt to seduce him into having an affair in order to feed off information from him and report it to her, as she feels her husband is not confiding in her enough. Many of her actions showed little regard for the potential consequences to those besides her husband; she reports that he survived the Drazens' attempt to kill David with a bomb in a cell phone despite Jack wanting the terrorists to believe that Palmer was dead so that Kim would be spared. She expressed no hesitation or regret for her actions, saying that she wished to protect her husband's candidacy, causing Palmer to realize that she had lost touch with what it meant to be part of a family. At the end of the day, Palmer tells her he was going to file for divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. In addition to many personal reasons, he indicated that she was not fit to be 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...
.
24: Season 2
Between Day 1 and Day 2, the Palmers divorce. Sherry unexpectedly appears at the OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
retreat of her ex-husband (now president) on the day of a nuclear threat
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. At first, Palmer trusts her claims that members of his staff are seeking to undermine his administration, which help him unravel a conspiracy against him from within the government. However, her questionable actions lead some — including Palmer's aide Lynne Kresge — to continue to be suspicious of her, and it is revealed to David that he is being manipulated by Sherry. By the end of the day, she has proven that she still had feelings for her husband by assisting CTU agent Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
in bringing down the terrorists. Although arrested for her acts of treason, Palmer would later assist her in discreetly being released.
24: Season 3
Day 3 began with President Palmer in L.A. for a debate against his political opponent, Senator John Keeler. Midway through the season, Sherry Palmer returned — this time at Palmer's bidding to help him shake off Alan Milliken, a key campaign contributor who was now threatening to sabotage an important health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
bill unless he fires his brother and chief of staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Wayne
Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer is a fictional President of the United States on the television series 24. He is played by D. B. Woodside.-Characterization:...
for having an affair with Milliken's wife. Palmer instructs her to find evidence to use against Milliken, and she finds Kevin Kelly, a man who was paid to keep quiet about Milliken's role in his daughter's death. When Kelly mysteriously disappears, Sherry goes to the Milliken residence to speak with his wife Julia and obtain his cell phone. He comes downstairs and she yells at him, causing him to have a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
; she then prevents Julia from giving him his medication, effectively murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing him. Sherry persuades Julia not to report it and convinces her ex-husband that if he reported it to the police, he would be implicated as well. Palmer lies to the Chief of Police and gives her an alibi. Disgusted by what she had done, he then tells her to get out of his life forever.
Seeking revenge, Sherry subsequently goes to Keeler and offers him proof that she was indeed present when Milliken died (the bottle of Milliken's heart pills with her fingerprints on it) and that Palmer had therefore obstructed a murder inquiry by giving her a false alibi. Keeler could then use this to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
Palmer into discreetly leaving the presidency, allowing Keeler an easy win in the upcoming election. Palmer and his Chief of Staff Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer
Wayne Palmer is a fictional President of the United States on the television series 24. He is played by D. B. Woodside.-Characterization:...
find this out, and Wayne and Bruce Foxton, a professional evidence retriever, sneak into her home to try to steal the evidence while Palmer distracts her elsewhere. Sherry, however, grows suspicious, even as Palmer agrees to remarry her, and returns home, where she is knocked unconscious by Foxton, who retrieves the bottle of pills. Wayne flees the house with the evidence, but Julia, who had been left as the only suspect in the murder of her husband, arrives at the house, shooting Sherry dead and turning the gun on herself. Although Palmer is now technically in the clear, his horror at being involved in the deaths of Milliken, Julia and Sherry forces him to discreetly leave the race for re-election.