Bradley Whitford Reveals Which West Wing Alum He Wants On The Diplomat
The Diplomat is gearing up for season 3 with a casting power play: Allison Janney’s Grace Penn is finally getting her husband, Todd, played by Bradley Whitford — and he’s lobbying to bring a fellow West Wing alum into the mix.
File this under TV reunions I actually want: Netflix is bringing The Diplomat back for season 3, and it comes with a little West Wing flavor that makes perfect sense.
Yep, that West Wing duo is back together
Allison Janney is returning as Grace Penn, and this time her husband shows up too. Todd, who we have not met until now, will be played by Bradley Whitford. That pairing is not random — both of them spent seven seasons on The West Wing, and The Diplomat creator Debora Cahn cut her teeth as a writer and producer on that show. It all tracks.
Also worth flagging: Janney and Whitford are not just in for season 3 — they are already set for season 4 as well.
So who else do they want to bring over?
In an interview with Parade, the two were asked which West Wing alum they would recruit for The Diplomat. Janney, ever the diplomat, basically said there are too many good options to pick just one and joked that they should draw names from a hat. Whitford, on the other hand, had a very specific, very on-brand answer.
"I’d like to see Josh Malina just do a very deep background pass. I want you to miss it."
Translation: a cameo so quick you only catch it on your second rewatch. Janney cracked up and called it the perfect answer. She’s right.
The backstory: a long-running prank war
If you remember the old West Wing days, this pick is not random. Josh Malina was infamous for pranks on that set. At one point he used Whitford’s stationery to send flowers to new cast member Jimmy Smits with a note asking him to be his valentine. Whitford retaliated in a writerly way: in an episode he wrote, he made Malina deliver the line "I can’t act. I’m a terrible actor." Two decades later, the bit is still going — they needle each other whenever they can. A blink-and-you-miss-it Malina cameo on The Diplomat would keep that tradition alive.
What you need to know
- The Diplomat season 3 premieres October 16, 2025 on Netflix.
- Allison Janney returns as Grace Penn; Bradley Whitford joins as her husband, Todd.
- Creator Debora Cahn previously wrote and produced on The West Wing.
- Janney and Whitford spent all seven seasons on The West Wing and are also confirmed for The Diplomat season 4.
- Asked by Parade who else they would bring over, Whitford singled out Josh Malina for a blink-and-you-missed-it background bit.
Will Netflix sneak Malina into a distant crowd shot just to mess with us? Honestly, I hope so. Keep your eyes peeled.