Why Is Daisy Leaving 'Madam Secretary'? The Details Behind Her Resignation

Why is Daisy Grant leaving 'Madam Secretary'? Here's what led up to the press secretary's surprising resignation.

CBS drama Madam Secretary kicked one of its main characters out of the oval office on the Nov. 3 episode following a pretty substantial political scandal.

Press Secretary Daisy Grant, who’s played by actress Patina Miller, found herself in hot water when evidence tied her to the leak of damaging information right before the election, which ultimately cost Senator Miller the presidency — and now appears to be costing Daisy her job. 

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Why is Daisy leaving Madam Secretary?

There’s been no indication that Daisy won’t appear in the series’ final five episodes, but she’s no longer President Elizabeth McCord’s right-hand woman. 

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Even though Daisy insisted she wasn’t the one who leaked Senator Miller’s affair with an intern to the press, she decided to resign so as not to impact the legitimacy of Elizabeth’s presidency any further. 

It all started with Daisy’s testimony about the bar fight that took place during Elizabeth’s campaign. She purposefully left Claudine Bernard’s name out of the story because Claudine, who turned out to be a spy for the Iranian government, had given Daisy the files about Senator Miller’s affair. 

She admitted to taking the hard drive and keeping it from the authorities, but said she had no part in releasing the incriminating information. Despite her claims, Mike B. suggested that Elizabeth fire Daisy, which the former secretary of state refused to do. 

Instead, she had her team track down Claudine in an effort to prove Daisy’s innocence. But before Elizabeth could clear her name, Daisy resigned from her position.

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Meanwhile, Valerie Guillen — the journalist who broke the Senator Miller story — refused to give up her source despite being subpoenaed by the Department of Justice. 

Elizabeth eventually granted Valerie a presidential pardon, later asking if Daisy was her source. Valerie answered no, confirming Elizabeth’s hunch that Daisy wasn’t involved in the leak. 

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Though Daisy officially stepped down from her role as press secretary, Patina Miller is scheduled to appear in the next episode, meaning that the beloved character’s journey on the show isn’t over.

In Madam Secretary, the country was spared a Donald Trump-esque leader.

While talking to Elizabeth, Daisy confessed that she’s glad the affair leaked because Senator Miller is "a monster… a racist, a bully, and a liar." In a 2018 interview, Patina shared that "it’s exhausting sometimes" having to portray characters in the type of political climate we're living in now. 

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"I feel like we do a great job of telling stories that people can relate to," she explained to New York Family. "We’re not necessarily pointing fingers at anyone, but we’re able to adapt and tell these stories that people at home can identify with."

The 34-year-old added, "The characters are going through the exact same things that we, in this country, are going through, in similar — but not the exact same — ways… I think it’s pretty amazing, though, how our stories get to mirror what is happening in real time."

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