Exiting Sean Spicer on SNL jokes: A lot were 'over the line'

In the wake of Friday’s news that Sean Spicer resigned his post as White House Press Secretary, many bemoaned the likely corresponding loss of Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of Spicer on Saturday Night Live.

Spicer himself addressed the portrayal in a post-resignation interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I think when it’s funny it’s funny,” he said when asked about SNL. “I think that there were parts of it that were funny, but there’s a lot of it that was over the line.”

Spicer went on to admit some of the sketches — both on SNL and elsewhere on late-night television — made him laugh, but many crossed the line into being mean. “It wasn’t funny. It was stupid, or silly, or malicious,” he said. “But there were some skits on late night television that I did crack up at. So sometimes it can be funny, Some of the memes you have to crack up about. But sometimes it goes from funny to mean.”

McCarthy debuted her scathing impression of Spicer on the Feb. 4 episode of Saturday Night Live, and her unhinged performance was immediately hailed as one of the show’s more inspired bits of stunt casting. Spicer initially said he found McCarthy’s impression “funny,” but his boss reportedly didn’t agree with that assessment. In a Feb. 6 story, Politico cited unnamed sources who claimed President Trump took issue with the fact that Spicer was played on by a woman on SNL.

Watch McCarthy’s debut as Spicer below.

After Spicer’s remarks, the official Saturday Night Live Twitter account tweeted a clip of McCarthy’s impression with a simple statement: “Spicey out.”

During his interview with Hannity, Spicer also explained the reasons behind his resignation. “I just thought it was in the best interest of our communications department, of our press organization to not have too many cooks in the kitchen,” he said. Spicer resigned after President Donald Trump placed Anthony Scaramucci was named White House Communications Director.

In the wake of Spicer’s exit, President Trump issued a statement through newly minted Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I am grateful for Sean’s work on behalf of my administration and the American people. I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities. Just look at his great television ratings.”

Speaking Friday, Spicer said Trump didn’t want him to resign. “He’s been very gracious throughout this process. He wanted to bring some new folks in to help rev up the communications operation, and after reflection, my decision was to recommend to the president that I give Anthony and Sarah a clean slate to start from,” Spicer explained. “So that they can talk about the president’s agenda and help move it forward, and he, after some back and forth, understood that the offer that I was making was something that was in the best interest of the administration.”

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus also appeared on Hannity to discuss Spicer’s resignation, claiming Spicer and Trump will continue to have a relationship together.

“You look at people who were around the president and might not be working for him anymore, he’s still very close to those people. They’re still very important to the president,” Preibus said. “Sean leaving doesn’t mean that Sean isn’t going to be out there supporting President Trump and it doesn’t mean that President Trump isn’t going to be out there supporting Sean Spicer. I’ve seen how the world around the president works and it’s very healthy and he cares about his people.”

Hannity will sit down for three separate interviews with Spicer, Scaramucci, and Priebus on Fox News’ Hannity Friday night at 10 p.m. ET.