Weeks after leaving his job, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was onstage at the Emmy Awards on Sunday joking about one of his first claims from the press room.
Host Stephen Colbert said it was difficult to tell how many people would be watching the show.
“What really matters to Donald Trump is ratings. You gotta have the big numbers,” Colbert said. “Unfortunately at this point, we have no way of knowing how big our audience is. I mean is there anyone who can say how big our audience is? Sean, do you know?”
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At that point, Spicer wheeled a podium onto the Los Angeles stage.
“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys period, both in person and around the world,” Spicer said. The reference was to his Inauguration Day claims, contradicted by photos, about how big the audience was for U.S. President Trump’s oath of office.
“Wow,” Colbert replied. “That really soothes my fragile ego.”
Colbert didn’t let Spicer off the hook. Pointing out Robert DeNiro in the audience, he noted that the actor had been nominated for his role in the HBO movie Wizard of Lies (about Bernard Madoff).
Colbert joked that he thought the movie was The Sean Spicer Story.
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Spicer’s joke rubbed several people the wrong way on social media.
Many Twitter users criticized the moment for attempting to “normalize” a person who spread lies during his time as press secretary.
https://twitter.com/coamiller/status/909572347832582144
https://twitter.com/RichardAmelius/status/909572375850684416
https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/909583547131817986
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https://twitter.com/jpbrammer/status/909760475201724416
https://twitter.com/michaelianblack/status/909764577264586752
Others were comparing Spicer’s ability to find another job to Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who refused to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality against blacks.
https://twitter.com/nicolairamirez/status/909760796963549185
https://twitter.com/tallbaby21/status/909753698523287554
Others were entertained by the reaction of celebrities in the crowd.
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Many other Twitter users didn’t find Spicer’s cameo “funny” at all.
https://twitter.com/ira/status/909571863931633666
https://twitter.com/joannarothkopf/status/909572179871879168
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/909606431766216704
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Following the show Sunday night, Spicer joined many other Emmy guests making their way to the official Governors Ball after party. He told The Hollywood Reporter “it’s an honour” to attend and participate in the Emmys. “I have a lot of respect for folks who do what they do in film and on television, so it’s a real honour to be invited,” Spicer said.
When Spicer was asked whether he considered the negative reactions his appearance might receive, he said “not so much.”
“I was more worried about the logistical reactions,” he said. “I’ve never wheeled a podium before. The one I’m used to is pretty stationary.”
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When asked if he was worried about Trump taking offence to the skit, Spicer said “I certainly hope not.”
Spicer told the New York Times on Monday that the skit “was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event.”
He said that he didn’t give Trump or any senior White House staff a heads-up about his appearance on the awards show, which had been in the works for several days.
Spicer revealed that Colbert suggested the idea himself and passed it onto him through his producer at CBS.
—With files from the Associated Press
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