Of all of the surprising things that happened during Sunday night’s 69th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony (Lena Waithe becoming the first African-American woman to win a Comedy Writing award, Julia Louis-Dreyfus smashing records, etc.), perhaps the most shocking was a surprise cameo by none other than former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Taking a jab at the president lack of Emmy wins during his opening monologue, host Stephen Colbert said, “Of course, what really matters to Donald Trump is ratings, you gotta 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 can say how big the audience is? Sean, do you know?” he asked, before cutting to Spicer himself wheeling out on stage behind Melissa McCarthy’s Saturday Night Live podium. “This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period, both in person, and around the world,” Spicer cracked, in a nod to his Inauguration Day crowd size remarks.
After his appearance, Spicer was seen behind-the-scenes backstage drinking beer and hobnobbing with celebrities who all seemed thrilled for a photo op. Yes, on one hand you can look at it that the appearance was all in good fun. On the other hand, however, this is a man who engaged in some blatant gaslighting of America — the same man who once actually defended Hitler while stumping for his boss — and you can’t blame people for being upset.
https://twitter.com/jennyslate/status/909629529919954944
https://twitter.com/morninggloria/status/909574043560443905
https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/909583547131817986
I can't believe this show completely uncritically featured Trump cronies Roger Ailes and Sean Spicer and Susan Sarandon. #Emmys
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) September 18, 2017
This isn't okay. It's not a redemption arc. This is a grown man who chose loyalty to a sociopath instead of the country. Fuck him forever. pic.twitter.com/JBrCiZM85J
— Guy Endore-Kaiser (@GuyEndoreKaiser) September 18, 2017
When U.S. history records the crimes of this administration—and the names of its enablers—Sean Spicer on the Emmys will be a VERY bad look.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) September 18, 2017
Because the Emmys didn't sufficiently destroy their credibility earlier by treating Spicer as if he weren't an anti-free speech thug: https://t.co/Ut2sFWpuiu
— Keith Olbermann⌚️ (@KeithOlbermann) September 18, 2017
America, Can we NOT normalize this vile, monstrous @potus—and the parasitic opportunists who sold their souls for him? #spicer #Emmys2017
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) September 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/davidstassen/status/909617936498692097
White Privilege:#Spicer worked for a racist Islamophobe but gets a role at the #Emmys #Kaepernick donated millions but can't get a job.
— Gyasi Ross (@BigIndianGyasi) September 18, 2017
Five months ago, Sean Spicer denied that Hitler gassed people during the Holocaust. Sorry, but I'm not seeing the humor in that… https://t.co/6ChkFMjl6X
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) September 18, 2017
Destroying the credibility of the presidency & waging unprecedented attacks on a free press shouldn't be forgiven, period. #spicer
— Katherine Goldstein (@KGeee) September 18, 2017
I just don't see myself cheering for Spicer any more. Did so once – when he left.
He got paid to lie.
Not my values.— Randy Bryce (@IronStache) September 18, 2017
For his part, Sean Spicer has not commented on the backlash to his appearance, although he did retweet a few positive articles and tweets. His former boss has yet to tweet anything about the awards show.