Sean Spicer's Dancing with the Stars appearance was announced on Wednesday.
Were you looking forward to the end of the year-long Dancing with the Stars hiatus and a bit of light entertainment? Looking forward to a little evening escape from the fraught politics of 2019?
You're in no such luck as the announcement of former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has already stirred up some controversy since the Season 28 line-up was announced on Wednesday morning.
.@seanspicer will compete on the new season of @DancingABC!#DWTS#DancingOnGMAhttps://t.co/iiWtUzxXl2 pic.twitter.com/cJ9XmrEl3T
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 21, 2019
Spicer's inclusion in the show was even criticized by host Tom Bergeron who posted a statement to Twitter in which he revealed that he had asked show bosses to avoid any politics on the reality TV show.
“A few months ago, during a lunch with DWTS’ new Executive Producer, I offered suggestions for Season 28. Chief among them was my hope that DWTS, in its return following an unprecedented year-long hiatus, would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations. I left that lunch convinced we were in agreement," the tweet wrote.
“Subsequently (and rather obviously),” the statement continues, “a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.’ It is the prerogative of the producers, in partnership with the network, to make whatever decisions they feel are in the best long term interests of the franchise. We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it’s their call. I’ll leave it to them to answer any further questions about those decisions.
“For me, as host, I always gaze into the camera’s lens and imagine you on the other side, looking for a two-hour escape from whatever life hassles you’ve been wrestling with.
“That’s a connection, and a responsibility, which I take very seriously, even if I occasionally season it with dad jokes. Hopefully, when Erin Andrews and I look into those lenses again on September 16, you’ll be on the other side looking back, able to enjoy the charismatic pro dancers, the unpredictable judges and the kitschy charm that has defined DWTS since 2005," Bergeron concluded.
Read more: Sean Spicer relied on his Catholic faith to get him through his Trump days
Some thoughts about today pic.twitter.com/aCQ4SHrGCI
— Tom Bergeron (@Tom_Bergeron) August 21, 2019
Spicer, whose great-grandfather moved to the US from Kinsale, Co. Kerry, was a controversial Press Secretary for President Donald Trump, accused of lying during press briefings.
His presence in the DWTS cast has already received plenty of backlash:
You gotta be f*cking kidding me @ABCNetwork @DancingABC ... #SeanSpicer ... you're rewarding the guy who set the dangerous precedent of openly and flagrantly lying to the American people every single day from behind the WH Podium ... shame on you! #BoycottDWTS
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) August 21, 2019
Former press secretary #SeanSpicer has been on something of a weak apology tour — which appears to be reaching a bizarre conclusion on the #DancingWiththeStars dance floor.
— Salon (@Salon) August 21, 2019
Whoever made this decision is an idiot, but I’m guessing he won’t last long & then @melissamccarthy can do it better #SeanSpicer https://t.co/99luO3Exvr
— Tara Dublin (@taradublinrocks) August 21, 2019
Spicer is not the only Irish American on this year's show, however, with the cast also featuring actress Kate Flannery, best known for her role as Meredith in The Office.
“I had 9 seasons of the most unglamorous character on TV.”@KateFlannery@DancingABC#DWTS #DancingOnGMA https://t.co/KdLAHBrq2r pic.twitter.com/NvC32ZNHJx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 21, 2019
The new season of Dancing with the Stars begins on Monday, September 16.
How long do you think Sean Spicer will last on the show? Let us know in the comments section, below.
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