Jay Whitman is the current White House Chief of Staff to President Elizabeth McCord. He previously served as Elizabeth's policy advisor and, later, Chief of Staff during her tenure as United States Secretary of State. He is portrayed by Sebastian Arcelus.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Jay was born in Connecticut and raised in Dallas, Texas.
Career[]
Jay's career in politics began in college, when he assisted the future Governor Lockwood of Texas during his run for mayor of Galveston. He served as Secretary of State Vincent Marsh's policy advisor until his death, after which he and the rest of Marsh's staff were inherited by Elizabeth. Jay was initially reluctant to work for Elizabeth, as he had been preparing to accompany Marsh on a potential bid for the White House in 2016, and was unhappy with the notion of working under someone who lacked presidential ambition.
Jay was nearly fired from his job after an email of his was leaked in which he insulted the French Foreign Minister. He recommended that Elizabeth fire him, and offered her his letter of resignation, which she refused. He was later named as Nadine Tolliver's replacement following her departure as Elizabeth's Chief of Staff.
While investigating a CIA arms smuggling case in Nice, France, Jay was kidnapped by arms dealer Dito Pirosmani, and was freed after Elizabeth negotiated his release.
Following his divorce from his ex-wife Abby, Jay met professional Dutch chess player Annelies De Runnow while stranded at Shannon Airport in Ireland, and the pair began a relationship. Although Jay initially joined Elizabeth's presidential campaign, he instead opted to pursue a life in Amsterdam with Annelies. Jay and Annelies eventually returned to Washington, D.C, and Jay resumed working for Elizabeth as her third White House Chief of Staff, fulfilling his wish to work for the President.
Behind the Scenes[]
Jay Whitman was portrayed by Sebastian Arcelus in Madam Secretary.