‘SNL’s Sean Spicer Joke Fires up ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fans

Dancing with the Stars fans were up in arms this weekend after Saturday Night Live took aim at Sean Spicer. The former White House Press Secretary has been a punchline on SNL for years, but now that he is a reality TV star, many see him differently. After this weekend’s episode, many denounced the skit on social media.

The skit in question starred Kate McKinnon as White House advisor Kellyanne Conway. While pretending to make announcements on Trump administration’s behalf, she referenced the fact that, in real life, the administration has not had a conventional press briefing for a long time.

“As you’ve probably noticed, the White House has not held a formal press briefing in almost eight months,” she said. “We’ve kept our new press secretary in hiding because our past ones were mocked, humiliated and forced to regain their dignity on Dancing With The Stars.”

The joke was a direct dig at Spicer, who was the first White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump. Spicer left the administration within months, but not before he became a recurring character on SNL, played by Melissa McCarthy. Many people were horrified by his casting on DWTS, feeling that the show was normalizing the Trump administration. On Sunday morning, it appeared that many viewers did not see it that way.

“I admire Sean for going on the show in spite of the negative comments in the beginning, especially from that clown emcee Tom Bergeron,” one commenter wrote on Facebook. “Sean is working hard and having a great time. He makes me laugh and he’s made friends on the show. Good for him!”

“Good for Sean to get out there and have fun while his fan base keeps him in. I watch it for the entertainment and dancing and leave it at that. There are other shows which are truly a competition if that is what one wants to see,” added another.

Others argued that SNL was right and that bringing a political figure onto Dancing with the Stars was not best for him or the show, no matter which side of the aisle he was on.

“I love DWTS but was disappointed that they made it political. You can see enough of that on every other show,” one person wrote.

“Having watched the show this season but seen film of his dancing, just proof that some people like him and his former boss are born on 3rd base,” added another.

There were even many commenters who wanted Spicer gone for completely apolitical reasons — not because of the implications of his run, but because they felt he was not a good dancer. Some speculated that Spicer was getting an unfair advantage specifically because the controversy keeps attention on the show.

“Sean Spicer has got to go! He is not a good dancer. The judges score needs to be weighted more in the total outcome. This is supposed to be a dance show not a popularity contest!!” a fan wrote.

New episodes of DWTS air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.