Political satire has made a major comeback in recent months, as comedy series like Saturday Night Live have shown an increasing willingness to poke fun at the incoming presidential administration. Alec Baldwin's take on Donald Trump has become one of the most popular (albeit polarizing) recurring characters on the late night series, but other members of the White House staff have fallen under SNL's crosshairs as well. Melissa McCarthy recently appeared on the sketch series as a cartoonish version of Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and the real Spicer apparently has some thoughts about the gig. Spicer explained:
[She] needs to slow down on the gum chewing; way too many pieces in there.
Sean Spicer's recent comments to Extra refer to the borderline insane amount of gum that Melissa McCarthy's caricature of him chowed down on during the Saturday Night Live press briefing sketch. The joke is a reference to a recent profile on Spicer conducted by The Washington Post in which the new White House Press Secretary admitted that he chews (and swallows) two and a half packs of Orbit cinnamon gum by noon on a given day. It's obviously a spoof-worthy habit, but Spicer thinks that McCarthy overdid it in her depiction of him.
It's worth mentioning that Sean Spicer doesn't appear entirely offended by the Saturday Night Live impersonation of his demeanor. Although he admittedly thinks that the series "could dial it back a bit" with regards to its satirical take on his personality, he seems to have at least partially enjoyed the comedy. This reaction is somewhat akin to the one given by Kellyanne Conway regarding Kate McKinnon's frequent impersonation of her, as Conway has similarly found the humor in some (but not all) of the sketches featuring the McKinnon character. That said, the approval of SNL is not universal, and Spicer has specifically voiced disapproval towards Alec Baldwin's frequent and "mean" impersonation of President Trump.
Of course, considering the fact that we're barely three weeks into Donald Trump's presidency, we have a distinct feeling that the political satire isn't going to slow down anytime soon. Melissa McCarthy's take on Sean Spicer proved incredibly popular with audiences, so (gum or no gum) we're likely going to see the impersonation make a return at some point.
Saturday Night Live airs every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Alec Baldwin will take over hosting duties on the upcoming February 11 episode. For more information regarding all of the most highly anticipated spring television debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive midseason premiere guide and fill out your TV viewing schedules accordingly!
If you missed Melissa McCarthy's take on Sean Spicer during the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live, you can check out the skit for yourself on the next page.
