The West Wing Cast: Where Are They Now?
22. Moira Kelly - Mandy Hampton
The term
‘Mandyville’ is often used to refer to a character on a TV series that
disappears without incident, never to be seen again. It’s a modern equivalent
to what TV Tropes refers to as ‘Chuck Cunningham Syndrome’ and takes its name
from Mandy Hampton, the character played by Moira Kelly in The West Wing’s
first season.
After prominently appearing in the pilot and joining the Bartlet White House as a media consultant, Mandy quickly faded into irrelevance, usurped by Donna as Josh’s prospective love interest and only taking a backseat role in a handful of episodes. She vanished without explanation between seasons one and two and was never mentioned by anybody in the series again.
Moira Kelly came into the West Wing best known for her voice role in the Lion King (as Nala). She subsequently appeared as a main cast member in the first four seasons of The CW’s teen drama One Tree Hill.
Her work has been sporadic since her departure from that show. She hasn’t appeared in a film since 2007’s Remember The Daze (which holds a notorious 0% rating on RottenTomatoes) and her only appearances on television have been in one-episode roles, years apart, aside from a three-episode run on Fox’s The Resident last year.