Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he ‘absolutely’ regrets the televised tirade he gave the media on his first full day on the job about the size of President Trump’s inauguration crowd.
Spicer shared his regret with the New York Times the day after he made a self-mocking appearance for the Emmy Awards where he essentially played himself and made outlandish claims about the size of the TV program’s viewing audience.
The real-life performance Spicer turned in the day after Trump’s inauguration set the combative tone for his tenure, as he berated reporters and claimed falsely: ‘This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe.’
On Monday, Spicer told the Times: ‘Of course I do, absolutely’ regret his inaugural crowd claim.
Sean Spicer was wheeled out during Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue to the shock of celebrities sitting in the audience at the Microsoft Theater in LA Sunday
Spicer didn’t betray any concern that President Trump would be offended by the skit, which some commentators have said acknowledged he wasn’t truthful during his job. He is currently on the paid speaking circuit.
‘I certainly hope not,’ Spicer said. ‘This was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event.’
Spicer made a surprise cameo appearance at the 69th Emmys and helped Stephen Colbert mock his old boss President Trump.
After Colbert engaged in a series of jokes at Trump’s expense, Spicer got wheeled out on a mobile White House podium of the kind that Melissa McCarthy used in her own savage impersonation of him on ‘Saturday Night Live.
He then re-created his now infamous Trump inauguration claim that it was biggest attendance in history.
Spicer said he hoped President Donald Trump wouldn’t be offended by the skit. ‘This was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event,’ he said
Spicer appeared after Colbert unleashed a blistering string of jabs about Trump, calling him a ‘morally corrupt anti-hero,’ a ‘whiter Walter White’, poking fun at his obsession with ratings and tweeting.
The Late Show host also performed a song which included the lyrics ‘treason is better on TV’, while flashing a shot of Trump and Vladimir Putin, and ‘Imagine if your president was not beloved by Nazis’. He also took a shot at his failure to win the popular vote during the election.
Spicer has taken steps in the pass to walk back his remarks, but without going so far.
‘Our intention is never to lie to you,’ Spicer told reporters at the White House a few days after his infamous claims. ‘You’re in the same boat: I mean, there are times when you guys tweet something out or write a story and you publish a correction. That doesn’t mean that you were intentionally trying to deceive readers and the American people, does it? And I think that we should be afforded the same opportunity.’
Stephen Colbert cracked that if Donald Trump had gotten an Emmy for ‘The Apprentice’ maybe he wouldn’t have run for President
McCarthy was surprised to see her SNL ‘doppelganger’ wheeled onstage. She led the star-studded audience in their shock at the former press secretary’s cameo
‘There are times when we believe something to be true or we get something from an agency or we act in haste because the information available wasn’t complete, but our desire to communicate with the American people and make sure that you have the most complete story at the time, and so we do it. But, again, I think that when you look net-net, we’re going to do our best every time we can. I’m going to come out here and tell you the facts as I know them, and if we make a mistake, I’ll do our best to correct it.’
But Spicer also defended his claim by saying that tens of people were watching the event online.
‘It’s unquestionable,’ Spicer said then. ‘And I don’t see any numbers that dispute that when you add up attendance, viewership, total audience in terms of tablets, phones, on television. I’d love to see any information that proves that otherwise.’
Spicer and Colbert were joined by a long line of celebrities who criticized the president and his policies throughout the three-hour CBS broadcast, where politics was placed firmly in the spotlight.
Jane Fonda called him a bigot, Alec Baldwin ridiculed his failure to win an Emmy, Donald Glover he accused him of oppressing black people and Julia Louis-Dreyfus made an impeachment joke.
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Veep star Anna Chlumsky’s face summed up the audience’s reaction as Spicer was wheeled onstage behind the podium
EVERY JOKE AND JAB AT TRUMP AT THE EMMYS
Colbert’s opening monologue took a more benevolent turn when he urged people to keep donations coming to those in need after hurricanes ravaged both Florida and Texas
STEPHEN COLBERT
‘Of course, there’s no way anyone could possibly watch that much TV, other than the president, who seems to have a lot of time for that sort of thing. Hello sir, thank you for joining us! Looking forward to the tweets.
‘We know that the biggest TV star of the last year is Donald Trump. No, we may not like it, but he’s the biggest star. And you know, Alec Baldwin, obviously. You guys are neck and neck. And Alec, you’re up against a lot of neck.
‘However you feel about the president, and you do feel about the president, you can’t deny that every show was influenced by Donald Trump in some way. ‘All the late night shows, obviously, ‘House of Cards,’ the new season of ‘American Horror Story’.
‘We all know that the Emmys mean a lot to Donald Trump because he was nominated multiple times for ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ but he never won. Why didn’t you give him an Emmy? I’ll tell you this — if he had won an Emmy, I bet he wouldn’t have run for president. So this is all your fault. I thought you people love morally compromised antiheroes. You like Walter White.
‘And he never forgave you, and he never will. The president has complained repeatedly that the Emmys are rigged. He even went after the host a few years back, tweeting, ‘That Seth Meyers is hosting the Emmy Awards is a total joke. He is very awkward with almost no talent. Marbles in his mouth!’ Wow, marbles in his mouth, that’s harsh. That’s quite an accusation, do you have a response Seth? (Camera pans to Meyers, with marbles falling out of his mouth).
‘And even during the campaign, he wouldn’t let it go. This actually happened, this exchange actually happened in the debates. (Goes to video showing Clinton mentioning Trump’s Emmy loss in debate)
‘But he didn’t. Because unlike the presidency, Emmys go to the winner of the popular vote. Where do I find the courage to tell that joke in this room? Of course, what really matters to Donald Trump is ratings. He’s got to have the big numbers, and I certainly hope we achieve that tonight.
‘Unfortunately, at this point, we have no way of knowing how big our audience is. I mean, is there anyone who could say how big the audience is? Sean, do you know? (Moment Sean Spicer comes out on podium).
‘The Americans has hotter spies than the Russia inquiry, even treason’s better on TV’
In a skit spoofing HBO hit, Westworld, Colbert was asked by Jeffrey Wright if he’s ‘ever questioned the nature of [his] reality?’ Colbert responds: ‘Every day since November 8th.’
SEAN SPICER
‘This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys. Period. Both in person, and around the world.’ Sean Spicer in a nod to the former WH flack’s now infamous claim President Trump’s crowd was the largest in history.’
COLBERT RESPONDS: ‘Wow, that really soothes my fragile ego. I can understand why you’d want one of these guys around. Melissa McCarthy everyone, give it up! Beautiful.’
‘Imagine if your president wasn’t loved by Nazis’ Veep star Louis-Dreyfus sang during the show’s opening song
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS
‘Imagine if your president wasn’t loved by Nazis’ Louis-Dreyfus sang during the show’s opening song.
‘We did have a whole story line about an impeachment but we abandoned that because we were worried that someone else might get to it first.’
ALEC BALDWIN
‘I suppose I should say, at long last, Mr. President, here is your Emmy,’ Baldwin said while accepting the award for his portrayal of the President on SNL.
‘Orange wig proved to be effective’ birth control, cracked Baldwin during his acceptance speech after he said he and wife Hilaria haven’t had a child in three years.
JANE FONDA, LILY TOMLIN AND DOLLY PARTON
‘Back in 1980 in that movie (9 to 5), we refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.
‘And in 2017, we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.’
DONALD GLOVER
Glover ‘thanked’ Trump for ‘making black people number one on the most oppressed list’ during one of his Emmys acceptance speeches.
‘He’s the reason I’m probably up here,’ he added.
JOHN LITHGOW
‘First and foremost, I want to thank Winston Churchill. In these crazy times, his life reminds us what courage and leadership in government looks like.’
KUMAIL NANJIANI
‘They (the nominees for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program) also celebrate people who frantically race across international borders, and those who can scale walls really, really quickly. In other words, the president’s worst nightmare.’
SETH MYERS
The late night hoset took on physical comedy as Trump had previously called him ‘marble mouthed’ when he was hosting in 2014 on Twitter. The tweet flashed on screen as cameras cut to Meyers drooling marbles
Politics even made its way into the winners. The Handmaid’s Tale with took home six goings for its bleak portrait of an authoritarian America.
The glitzy ceremony in downtown Los Angeles – the first under the administration of President Donald Trump – was widely expected to have a strongly political flavor.
‘However you feel about the president, and you do feel about the president, you can’t deny that every show was influenced by Donald Trump in some way,’ Colbert began.
‘All the late night shows, obviously, ‘House of Cards,’ the new season of ‘American Horror Story.”
This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys. Period. Both in person, and around the world
But it was Spicer’s cameo that drew the most shocked reaction.
As he appeared ‘Spicey’ cracked ‘This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys. Period. Both in person, and around the world.’
Spicer was brought out to a surprised room full of celebrities whose jaws dropped when they saw the president’s former mouth piece at the Microsoft Theater in LA.
As the former White House flack was wheeled offstage, Colbert said ‘Thank you Melissa McCarthy!’ a nod to the actress’s fantastic impersonation of Spicer on Saturday Night Live.
Colbert also jokingly scolded Emmy voters for not giving Trump an Emmy for ‘The Apprentice,’ posing that maybe if he had his own an Emmy he wouldn’t have run for President.
‘I thought you guys loved morally compromised antiheroes,’ he said of Trump, then called him ‘Walter Whiter,’ in reference to the ‘Breaking Bad’ character who won several Emmys for Bryan Cranston.
He also hilariously noted: ‘Unlike the presidency, Emmys go to the winner of the popular vote.’
The awards show put Trump’s seeming obsession with the Emmys front and center when they showed his 2012 tweet in which he shared his dismay over his reality show ‘The Apprentice’ not scoring the coveted golden statue
Did he make it out alive? Spicer has caught the ire of Hollywood while managing to become the butt of jokes after his run as press secretary – but he was happy to pose up with various celebrities – including the one who mocks his boss
Baldwin slammed Trump for his unsuccessful Emmy nominations in the past for The Apprentice – while he picked up the Best Supporting Actor award for his impression of the president on Saturday Night Live
The president in 2012 vented his frustrations after his reality show The Apprentice did not get one of the coveted gold statues given at the Emmys.
‘The Emmys are all politics, that’s why, despite nominations, The Apprentice never won–even though it should have many times over,’ Trump tweeted at the time.
During a spirited opening song with several celebrity appearances, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sang how nice it would be to have a president who ‘was not beloved by Nazis.’
Unlike the presidency, Emmys go to the winner of the popular vote
With Colbert chiming in ‘Even treason’s better on TV,’ as an image flashes of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Later in a skit spoofing HBO hit, Westworld, Colbert was asked by Jeffrey Wright if he’s ‘ever questioned the nature of [his] reality?’ Colbert responds: ‘Every day since November 8th.’
Trump was not the only politician who was found in the cross hairs of Colbert’s deadpan delivery.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was just caught up in a scandal where his Twitter account ‘liked’ a hardcore porn video.
Colbert did not miss the opportunity to bring the mishap into his opening diatribe.
When talking about the myriad of steaming services available, the host jested: ‘These days everyone loves streaming video, just ask Ted Cruz, but knock first. You don’t wanna just walk in.’
The host did take time out from berating Republicans to thank first responders for their contributions during Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Harvey which devastated Florida and Texas respectively.
‘While we’re thanking people, no one deserves more thanks than our first responders’, he said.
‘They have been working tirelessly following the disasters in Texas and Florida’ adding that there is still time to donate to the efforts in the neighborhoods hit hardest by the natural disasters.
Marble mouthed 2014 Emmy host: Trump called Seth Meyers hosting gig a ‘total joke’ in 2012 when he was upset he didn’t win an Emmy for ‘The Apprentice.’ Colbert flashed Trump’s tweet as Meyers drooled marbles out of his mouth
Loser no more? Trump didn’t win an Emmy for his show The Apprentice in 2014 taking to his perennial favorite platform Twitter to call Meyers ‘very awkward with almost no talent’
Alec Baldwin smiled in the audience as Colbert cracked at the actor’s impersonation of the president on SNL this season
L to R: Stars of tv series ‘9 to 5’ Lily Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda took aim at the president without naming him- comparing him to a character in their 1980’s series who was described as a ‘sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigoted boss’
Sean Spicer stole the show during the opening monologue as he shocked the house packed with celebrities, many with who are of the more liberal persuasion
Colbert also took aim at Bill Maher for using the N-word during on his HBO show after speaking on the most black nominees ever during this year’s awards: ‘I assume he’s black since he’s so comfortable using the N-word. I don’t know. Goodnight! That’s my time everybody.’
However several celebrity presenters and those accepting awards decided to keep the spotlight on Trump, as the hits on his reign kept on coming later in the program.
The president has complained repeatedly that the Emmys are rigged. He even went after the host a few years back, tweeting, ‘That Seth Meyers is hosting the Emmy Awards is a total joke. He is very awkward with almost no talent. Marbles in his mouth!’ Wow, marbles in his mouth, that’s harsh. That’s quite an accusation, do you have a response Seth? (Marbles fall out of Meyers’ mouth).
Trump called Seth Meyers Emmy’s hosting gig a ‘total joke’ in 2014.
Colbert started off by saying ‘He even went after the host a few years back, tweeting, ”That Seth Meyers is hosting the Emmy Awards is a total joke. He is very awkward with almost no talent. Marbles in his mouth!” Wow, marbles in his mouth, that’s harsh. That’s quite an accusation, do you have a response Seth?’
Cameras cut to Meyers dribbling marbles out of his mouth in response.
Baldwin came to the stage accepting the Emmy and started off his speech by saying: ‘At long last, Mr. President, here is your Emmy.’
After its most-watched season in 23 years, ‘Saturday Night Live’ won nine Emmys, including best variety sketch series, for actress Kate McKinnon and for Melissa McCarthy’s turn as Spicer.
Soon after Baldwin picked up the accolade, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, came on stage to present an award and made a joke about their 1980s movie 9 to 5, at Trump’s expense.
Tomlin and Fonda said in 1980 they didn’t put up with a ‘sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigoted boss’ and they won’t today either, in a clear knock at Trump.
Donald Glover won his first Emmy win for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, making him the first black director to ever win the category.
Julia Louis Dreyfus, who portrays a POTUS on the HBO show ‘Veep’ received a round of applause after she joked the show decided to skip an impeachment line as they figured ‘someone else might get to it first’
Donald Glover accepts Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and thanked the president for making blacks in America ‘number one on the most oppressed list’
He used the speech to make a jibe at the president.
Glover ‘thanked’ Trump for ‘making black people number one on the most oppressed list.’
Julia Louis Dreyfus who is starring in the hit show ‘Veep’ as President Selina Meyer on the HBO comedy, jested ‘We did have a whole story line about an impeachment but we abandoned that because we were worried that someone else might get to it first.’
The joke received a rousing applause from the fairly liberal Hollywood elite crowd.
Meanwhile, several celebrities walked the carpet wearing blue ribbons, but it wasn’t a new trend.
Stars were showing their support for the American Civil Liberties Union and their ‘Stand With the ACLU’ initiative.
‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member Kate McKinnon told the audience that playing Hillary Clinton was the greatest honor of her life.
McKinnon won outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series Sunday at the Emmy Awards for her work on the sketch comedy show, in which she frequently portrayed Clinton during the Presidential election.
Backstage reporters peppered McKinnon with questions about Clinton. McKinnon says she is a great admirer of Clinton and that she is the best role she’s ever gotten to play.
McKinnon was spotted having dinner with Clinton in New York in February and called the experience surreal and wonderful and says she also ate too much.
Sterling K. Brown won best dramatic actor for his role as an African-American who is adopted into a white family in heart-tugging NBC family drama ‘This Is Us.’
In a crowded limited series category, HBO’s murder mystery ‘Big Little Lies’ came out on top, winning eight Emmys including for best series, for Nicole Kidman’s abused wife character, for Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard, as well as for writing and directing.
Kidman said the show ‘was created out of frustration because women weren’t getting great roles. So now, more roles for women, please!’
Britain’s Riz Ahmed beat presumed front-runner Robert De Niro to take his first Emmy for his role as a man who falls foul of the U.S. judicial system in HBO’s crime limited series ‘The Night Of.’
Some of the night’s biggest losers included two new Netflix shows. Fan favorite ‘Stranger Things’ won just five of its 18 nominations, mostly in technical categories, and British royal series ‘The Crown’ came away with three out of 16 nominations.