Real Life Inspirations
The West Wing often sought advice and consulted with real life political and government and officials. Sometimes these individuals even served as inspiration for the show. One such instance was revealed in a 2006 LA Times article. One of the consultants on the show was Dee Dee Meyers who had been a White House press secretary for the first two years of the Clinton Administration. She was also the first woman to ever hold the position. Needless to say, Dee Dee revealed that the relationship on the show between press secretary C.J. Cregg and reporter Danny Concannon was based on her marriage to New York Times White House correspondent Todd Purdum. Although, the real-life version of the relationship did not start until Dee Dee left her position at the White House.
