Annabeth Schott
Encyclopedia
Annabeth Schott, played by Kristin Chenoweth
, is a fictional character
on the political drama
The West Wing
. She joined the Bartlet administration in Season 6 as the Deputy Press Secretary for Media Relations following the promotion of C.J. Cregg to White House Chief of Staff. Originally she had applied for a different position after working on and reportedly "discovering" political talk show host Taylor Reid. It was Taylor Reid in an earlier episode who baited C.J. Cregg by naming her as his "chicken of the week" for continually refusing to appear on his show to debate current White House issues. She holds a Bachelor's degree
in Art History
.
As Deputy Press Secretary, Annabeth was often called upon to brief the press, particularly as Toby Ziegler
, who had been filling in for C.J., was often occupied by his duties as Communications Director. Although able to talk to reporters effectively outside of the realm of press briefings, Annabeth found herself frightened to be in the formal press briefing setting. Instead, she did her best to aid and teach Toby, who was prickly and mumbly with the press, to use his natural "watchable quality" to turn him into an able acting press secretary.
Towards the end of Season 6, Annabeth resigned, amicably, from the White House to aid Leo McGarry
in the running of the 2006 Democratic Convention. Leo was announced as the running mate of Matt Santos
in said convention and so, in Season 7, Schott joined the Santos-McGarry campaign as Leo's chief aide. The two bonded quickly and were rarely seen apart in the first half of the season. At one point when Leo suggested they get dinner, Annabeth stated that she thought that it would be best if they kept their distance when not working "because of the tension." After walking away, Leo wondered to himself "What tension?" The tension Annabeth feels may in fact be sexual in nature; Annabeth frequently compliments Leo on his appearance. Just prior to the Vice Presidential debate, Annabeth compliments Leo, and is then shown heaving a long sigh as he walks away.
Not long after, Leo used Annabeth's name to leak to the press that Leo was a poor debater, lowering the expectations on his Vice-Presidential debate, in which he performed spectacularly. When confronted by Annabeth on this, Leo mentioned that she should never use her cat's name as her computer password. The two continued to be close and at one point when Annabeth was singing to herself, Donna Moss
mused that it was because of Leo.
On the night of the 2006 election, Annabeth went up to Leo's room where (she believed) he had been taking a nap. She found him unconscious on the floor, having suffered a second heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital and soon pronounced dead. Annabeth was the only one of his friends and family who was with him when he died.
Following Leo's death and the election of Matt Santos as president, Schott was selected by First Lady Helen Santos
as her Press Secretary, working alongside Donna Moss, who was named Chief of Staff.
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
, is a fictional character
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 political drama
Political drama
A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas include Aaron Sorkin, Robert Penn Warren, Sergei...
The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
. She joined the Bartlet administration in Season 6 as the Deputy Press Secretary for Media Relations following the promotion of C.J. Cregg to White House Chief of Staff. Originally she had applied for a different position after working on and reportedly "discovering" political talk show host Taylor Reid. It was Taylor Reid in an earlier episode who baited C.J. Cregg by naming her as his "chicken of the week" for continually refusing to appear on his show to debate current White House issues. She holds a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
.
As Deputy Press Secretary, Annabeth was often called upon to brief the press, particularly as Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
, who had been filling in for C.J., was often occupied by his duties as Communications Director. Although able to talk to reporters effectively outside of the realm of press briefings, Annabeth found herself frightened to be in the formal press briefing setting. Instead, she did her best to aid and teach Toby, who was prickly and mumbly with the press, to use his natural "watchable quality" to turn him into an able acting press secretary.
Towards the end of Season 6, Annabeth resigned, amicably, from the White House to aid Leo McGarry
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
in the running of the 2006 Democratic Convention. Leo was announced as the running mate of 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...
in said convention and so, in Season 7, Schott joined the Santos-McGarry campaign as Leo's chief aide. The two bonded quickly and were rarely seen apart in the first half of the season. At one point when Leo suggested they get dinner, Annabeth stated that she thought that it would be best if they kept their distance when not working "because of the tension." After walking away, Leo wondered to himself "What tension?" The tension Annabeth feels may in fact be sexual in nature; Annabeth frequently compliments Leo on his appearance. Just prior to the Vice Presidential debate, Annabeth compliments Leo, and is then shown heaving a long sigh as he walks away.
Not long after, Leo used Annabeth's name to leak to the press that Leo was a poor debater, lowering the expectations on his Vice-Presidential debate, in which he performed spectacularly. When confronted by Annabeth on this, Leo mentioned that she should never use her cat's name as her computer password. The two continued to be close and at one point when Annabeth was singing to herself, Donna Moss
Donna Moss
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...
mused that it was because of Leo.
On the night of the 2006 election, Annabeth went up to Leo's room where (she believed) he had been taking a nap. She found him unconscious on the floor, having suffered a second heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital and soon pronounced dead. Annabeth was the only one of his friends and family who was with him when he died.
Following Leo's death and the election of Matt Santos as president, Schott was selected by First Lady Helen Santos
Helen Santos
Helen Santos is a fictional First Lady of the United States in the television drama The West Wing. She is the wife of Matt Santos played by Jimmy Smits. She became First Lady in the seventh season episode "Tomorrow," when her husband was inaugurated as President of the United States...
as her Press Secretary, working alongside Donna Moss, who was named Chief of Staff.
See also
- The West WingThe West Wing (TV series)The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
- List of characters on The West Wing
- List of politicians on The West Wing
- List of The West Wing episodes