--- title: Sean Spicer's Dancing With The Stars Casting Sparks Backlash description: Spicer's participation in the ABC series sparked backlash on social media. After defending him, his co-star Karamo Brown was also caught up. canonical: https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/ author: Ciara Nugent article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-08-22T16:40:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:57:08.684Z article:section: Politics og:title: What to Know about Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His 'Dancing With the Stars' Casting og:description: Spicer “will be in charge of assessing audience size,” joked the show's host og:url: https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte48b348624a35de1/698a01c38fd2ee28e935ffba/sean-spicer-dwts-cast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: Sean Spicer Cast on Dancing with the Stars og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What to Know about Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His 'Dancing With the Stars' Casting twitter:description: Spicer “will be in charge of assessing audience size,” joked the show's host twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte48b348624a35de1/698a01c38fd2ee28e935ffba/sean-spicer-dwts-cast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What to Know About Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His _Dancing With the Stars_ Casting > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=15c46aba-d3df-49c7-b90f-db174e0a5ce5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Sean Spicer's Greatest Hits [Watch (HLS stream): Sean Spicer's Greatest Hits](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fvh1mgxB.m3u8) (4:59)  _Published 2017-05-30. The Sean Spicer show is back after a brief hiatus. The White House press secretary is set to resume his daily press briefing Tuesday afternoon, after taking a break during President Trump's first trip abroad._ by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/) and [Alex Rees](https://time.com/author/alex-rees/) Aug 22, 2019 4:40 PM UTC The Sean Spicer show is back after a brief hiatus. The White House press secretary is set to resume his daily press briefing Tuesday afternoon, after taking a break during President Trump's first trip abroad. by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/) and [Alex Rees](https://time.com/author/alex-rees/) Aug 22, 2019 4:40 PM UTC The announcement Wednesday that former White House Press secretary Sean Spicer will appear in the upcoming season of _Dancing With the Stars_ has sparked fierce debate online – with show’s longtime host Tom Bergeron among those sharing concerns over his casting. Spicer was among the twelve contestants announced Wednesday on _Good Morning America_ for the 28th season of the ABC series. Spicer’s tenure in the White House – he resigned just six months into Donald Trump’s presidency in July 2017 – was marked by a increasingly rocky relationship with the press. One of his first acts as press secretary was to declare the crowd at Trump’s inauguration “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period” – a claim debunked by photos taken at the event. Spicer [later said](https://time.com/4946886/sean-spicer-inauguration-emmys-regret/) he “absolutely” regretted making the false statement, and even [participated in a skit at the Emmys ](https://time.com/4945440/sean-spicer-emmys-donald-trump-season-colbert/)mocking his own claim. After leaving the Trump Administration, Spicer published a memoir, _The Briefing_, and took a job as a senior adviser at [America First Action, a ](https://time.com/5312268/sean-spicer-america-first-super-pac/)[pro-Trump Super PAC](https://time.com/5312268/sean-spicer-america-first-super-pac/). In 2018, he said during a town hall promoting his book that he would not be appearing on the show. “Zero on the rhythm,” he responded. “I wouldn’t do that to the viewers.” > [](https://twitter.com/KatiePavlich/status/1164170398877007873) Following their exits from the Trump administration, both Omarosa Manigault Newman and Anthony Scaramucci appeared on the CBS reality show _Celebrity Big Brother_ in 2018 and 2019\. (Though, in a confusing set of circumstances, Scaramucci was later revealed to [not actually be a contestant](https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/28/celebrity-big-brother-anthony-scaramucci-exit-interview-twist/).) Spicer told _Good Morning America_ his strategy in the competition will be to “work really, really, really hard every day.” Many on social media criticized ABC’s decision to include a figure with a controversial political past in _Dancing With the Stars_, with some calling for a boycott of the series under the hashtag [#BoycottDWTS](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottDWTS?src=hashtag%5Fclick). Here’s what to know about the scandal around Sean Spicer on _Dancing With the Stars_. ## Who is criticizing Sean Spicer on Dancing With the Stars? Tom Bergereon, who has hosted the show since it’s first season in 2005, posted a statement on Twitter saying he had opposed any political figure appearing on the show during planning meetings. But Spicer’s casting is not the first time the show has featured lawmakers or those connected to the world of politics: Energy Secretary Rick Perry was the second person eliminated in _DWTS_‘s twenty-third season, while former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay danced for four weeks on the show’s ninth season before withdrawing from the competition with an injury. Marla Maples was among the show’s cast in 2016, amid her ex-husband’s then-presidential campaign; Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol competed twice over in the years following the 2008 campaign. Fox News host Tucker Carlson and correspondent Geraldo Rivera have also both appeared on _DWTS_ (in the show’s third and twenty-second seasons respectively). Both were the first contestant to be eliminated. Bergeron said he had hoped that the show’s return “would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations.” But producers chose “to go in a different direction,” he added. > [](https://twitter.com/Tom%5FBergeron/status/1164199118165729281) He joked on _Good Morning America_ that Spicer “will be in charge of assessing audience size,” referencing his inauguration crowd size claims. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/22/media/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars/index.html) reported Wednesday that ABC News staffers were unhappy with the decision, describing it as a “slap in the face.” Others on social media took issue specifically with Spicer’s record as press secretary. > [](https://twitter.com/chelseahandler/status/1164296675579420672) > [](https://twitter.com/funder/status/1164316361780342785) [ The New York _Times_‘](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/arts/television/dancing-with-the-stars-sean-spicer.html) television critic James Poniewozik said the casting diminished the seriousness of Spicer misleading the public. “To put him on a silly reality show is to say that he committed a silly offense and that you’re silly if you still make a big deal about it — everybody lies,” he wrote. ## Who is supporting Sean Spicer on _Dancing With the Stars_? Unsurprisingly, Spicer is standing by his casting. “Tom’s been a great host to this show for twenty-eight seasons,” he told [The Blast](https://theblast.com/c/dancing-with-the-stars-dwts-sean-spicer-Tom-Bergeron-response). Arguing that he believes he can help foster a “better dialogue,” he added that, “I would hope by the end of the show Tom looks at this as more of an opportunity to help reach the divide that exists right now.” He told [E! News](https://www.eonline.com/news/1067021/why-dancing-with-the-stars-courted-controversy-for-season-28-and-is-standing-by-its-choices?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm%5Fsource=eonline&utm%5Fmedium=rssfeeds&utm%5Fcampaign=rss%5Ftopstories) the show will be “an opportunity to be who I am… and give people a view they may not have seen during my \[White House\] tenure.” And speaking on the criticism in a statement to CNN, he said “I look forward to having some fun. And if people are looking for news, I suggest they tune into a news program.” _Queer Eye_ star Karamo Brown, who was announced as one of Spicer’s fellow cast members, also defended the former press secretary’s inclusion. “I’m excited to sit down w/ him and engage in a respectful conversations,” he wrote on Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/Karamo/status/1164222236582133761) In 2018, Brown met with Second Lady Karen Pence’s Chief of Staff at the White House, a decision which drew criticism from his _Queer Eye_ co-star Jonathan Van Ness (among others). “She doesn’t like you, girl,” Van Ness argued of Pence in a [_Vulture_](https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/queer-eye-season-2-biggest-twist.html)video. “She doesn’t like us.” To this, Brown replied that “it’s my job to continue to show up in spaces, and \[it’s\] all our jobs to continue to show up in spaces where we can say, ‘you know what, I can try to figure out how to try and work with you so that we can make sure… we’re helping future generations.'” Brown later told [_Access Hollywood_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJRGkiwLx6w) that he had met Spicer after the casting announcement and “we have been chatting all day today. He’s a good guy, a really sweet guy.” These remarks were also met with [backlash online](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michaelblackmon/karamo-brown-sean-spicer-dancing-stars-queer-eye). ## Who else is on the fall 2019 _Dancing With the Stars_ Cast? LA Lakers player Lamar Odom was also announced as part of the new cast on Wednesday. He told _Access Hollywood_ the show was “a great platform to promote anything that you want to promote.”  With a lineup of celebrities including a supermodel, a former White House press secretary, a Bachelorette, pro-athletes from the NFL and NBA, a Supreme and a TV icon to name a few, "Dancing with the Stars" is waltzing its way into its highly anticipated upcoming 2019 season. ABC Supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley, actors James Van Der Beek, Kel Mitchell, and _The Office_‘s Kate Flannery, athlete Ray Lewis and former _Bachelorette_ Hannah Brown are also among those competing in the competition, which begins airing September 16 on ABC. With the exception of Karamo Brown, none of the other contestants (nor any of the show’s professional dancers) have commented on Spicer’s casting. ## Transcript [00:00] Photographs of the inaugural proceedings were [00:02] intentionally framed in a way to minimise the enormous [00:05] support that had gathered on the National mall. This [00:07] was the largest audience to ever witness an [00:09] inauguration period. Good [00:14] afternoon everyone. Welcome back. I can sense the [00:16] love in the room. Yes, I believe that we have to be [00:19] honest with the American people. I think sometimes we [00:21] can disagree with the facts. I mean just the other day, [00:23] he sat down with Martin Luther King Jr. I would call him [00:26] a civil rights leader. His dad was the civil rights leader. [00:29] Sean, Sean I have a couple more questions- You get [00:31] one more. That's a ridic, you're [00:35] basically, okay Kristen we're going to end this right [00:37] now. Hunter, Hunter, no. And then, this [00:42] one is the, I've got the '13 here as well or the 2017. It [00:48] is literally 100 % the same. Well, first of all, it's [00:52] not a travel ban. He's using the words that the media [00:54] is using, but at the end of the day, it can't, hold on, [00:58] hold on, hold on. It can't be. It's his words. The [01:00] President himself Called it a ban. I understand. Is he [01:02] confused or are you confused? No, I'm not confused. [01:05] That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Okay, this is [01:08] silly. Okay, next. Attack on- Okay, you don't get to just [01:10] yell out questions. We're gonna raise our hand like big [01:12] boys and girls. This is government, this is not, and I [01:16] think that part of the reason the visual is important is [01:19] that when you actually look at the difference You [01:22] realize this is what big government does .>> Just [01:24] gonna say here your pin �� s upside down. John [01:27] Roberts is always helping me with the fashion tips. Its [01:29] still upside down. Dont make me make that podium [01:33] move. [ LAUGHTER ] I have heard this stuff. No, no, [01:35] hold on- no evidence of wiretapping at Trump Tower [01:38] so now you �� ve had the House Intelligence [01:40] Commitee and the the Senate Intelligence Commitee [01:40] ->> no, no actually here is this quote Johnathan. No, [01:43] here is the direct quote I thin it's very possible end [01:46] quote. When we talked about wiretapping, he meant [01:48] surveillance. [ CROSSTALK ] For a guy who has zero [01:52] intelligence class. [ LAUGH ] [01:58] [ CROSSTALK ] Does the President still have complete [02:01] confidence in FBI Director Comey? There's no reason to [02:04] believe he doesn't at this time. But even General Flynn [02:07] was a volunteer of the campaign, and then obviously [02:11] there's been discussion of Paul Manafort who played a [02:13] very limited role. Was the White House aware of any [02:15] contacts between Paul Manafort and Russian [02:16] operatives or suspected Russian operatives? No [02:16] [ INAUDIBLE ] Well [02:21] first I think your headlines are bad. I'm glad to rewrite, [02:25] I'd be glad to if you'd like, if you guys are looking for [02:27] some help. Are you looking for a job? Does the [02:32] President stand by statement that President Obama is [02:34] a bad or sick guy? I think the president's tweets stand [02:37] for themselves. I think there's a huge appetite for tax [02:40] return, tax reform. No, no we don't have that. You've [02:44] got Russia. If the president puts Russian salad [02:47] dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a [02:49] Russian connection. I'm sorry that that disgusts you. [02:52] You're shaking your head. I appreciate it but [02:56] understand this, that at some point, the facts are what [02:58] they are, and every single person who has been [03:00] briefed on this situation With respect to the situation [03:04] with Russia, Republican, Democrat, [03:07] Obama- appointee, career have all come to the same [03:10] conclusion. At some point, April, you're going to have [03:13] to take no for an answer, with respect to whether or [03:15] not there was collusion. April. I wanna thank you, Sean. [03:19] How are you today? I'm fine. And how are you? [03:23] Fantastic. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] the answer is that if you [03:26] gas a baby, if you put a barrel bomb into innocent [03:30] people. I think you will see a response from this [03:33] president. That is unacceptable. Someone as [03:37] despicable as Hitler, who didn't even sink to [03:41] using chemical weapons. I [03:48] think I got this but thank you. Are you sure? Maybe. [03:52] Alright, thanks man, I'll see you in a minute. [ LAUGH ] [03:53] Hold on. Alright, that was cool. [ LAUGH ] Alright, that [03:53] was cool. [ LAUGH ] Sean! Sean! Sean! Sean! Sean! [03:53] Come on, Sean! Sean! What about the Putin call? Sean! [03:53] Sit right here, wait, no one leaves. No one leaves, sit. [03:55] Let's see, sit and [04:00] wait. Let's see. [ CROSSTALK ] [04:22] considering canceling the daily press briefings? I think [04:25] he's a little dismayed, as well as a lot of people, that [04:28] we come out here and try to do everything we can to [04:31] provide you and the American people with what he's [04:33] doing on their behalf. and yet, we see time and time [04:36] again an attempt to parse every little word and make it [04:39] more of a game of " gotcha" as opposed to really [04:43] Figure out what the policies are? Why something is [04:45] being pursued or what the update is on this and I think [04:48] that's where there's a lot of dismay and I don't thin is [04:50] something just alone the president feels. Thank you [04:53] guys have a great weekend see you every monday [04:54] thank you, goodbye ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/"},"headline":"What to Know About Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His Dancing With the Stars Casting","datePublished":"2019-08-22T16:40:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:57:08.684Z","description":"Spicer “will be in charge of assessing audience size,” joked the show's host","url":"https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/","keywords":["Television","politics","Dancing with the Stars","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte48b348624a35de1/698a01c38fd2ee28e935ffba/sean-spicer-dwts-cast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ciara Nugent","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rees","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rees/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte48b348624a35de1/698a01c38fd2ee28e935ffba/sean-spicer-dwts-cast.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sean Spicer Cast on Dancing with the Stars","caption":"Sean Spicer Cast on Dancing with the Stars","creditText":"Al Drago—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5658591/sean-spicer-dancing-with-the-stars-2019/","name":"What to Know About Sean Spicer and the Controversy Over His Dancing With the Stars Casting"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Sean Spicer's Greatest Hits","description":"The Sean Spicer show is back after a brief hiatus. 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