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Sean Spicer's Emmy Appearance Causes Reporters to Lose It

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards / Getty Images
September 18, 2017

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer made a surprise appearance at the 2017 Emmy Awards and caused reporters to lose it.

Emmy host Stephen Colbert introduced Spicer, who entered the stage on a mobile podium similar to the one Melissa McCarthy used on "Saturday Night Live" to mock the former press secretary. Spicer took the opportunity to mock himself, and joked that the 2017 Emmy's would have the "largest audience ever," in reference to his earlier claim that President Donald Trump's inauguration had the biggest audience.

"This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period! Both in person and around the world," said Spicer.

Reporters didn't find it funny.

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Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake sent out a flurry of tweets decrying the "normalization" of Spicer.

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CNN editor Chris Cillizza condemned Spicer's appearance in an "analysis" Monday.  Cillizza said Hollywood "enabled" Spicer who was there joking about how he knowingly lied to the American people.

 "Here's the thing: Not only was the Spicer bit not funny, it shouldn't have happened at all," Cillizza wrote.

Former foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama and failed novelist Ben Rhodes noted Spicer's Emmy appearance was "interesting."

Rhodes admitted in 2016 to manipulating and lying to reporters to create an echo chamber that helped the Obama administration to sell the Iran deal. At that time, reporters weren't quick to denounce Rhodes or caution against normalizing him.