Where Is Sean Spicer Today?
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer quickly became one of the most well-known members of the Trump administration thanks to a fiery tirade he gave following the president's January 2017 inauguration. In an apparent attempt to please his boss, Spicer misrepresented the size of the inauguration crowds, pointedly stating to the press corps: "This was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe." But that wasn't the Rhode Island native's only battle with the media, as his quick temper and sense of responsibility to the Commander in Chief often put him in tricky situations. We can't say for certain how Spicer felt during this time, but it's probably safe to say he was more than happy to step down from the position by July of that year.
Spicer's exit from the White House didn't mean he disappeared from public view, however, as he had a cameo at the Emmy Awards in September 2017. The appearance sparked widespread criticism, with some arguing that his controversial actions while in the White House shouldn't be normalized or celebrated. Meanwhile, Spicer's new job (we'll fill you in later) has incited similar backlash, to say the least. If you've picked up on any of the buzz, you might be wondering: What is Sean Spicer up to today? As it turns out, President Donald Trump's former employee has kept himself quite busy.
Dancing with controversy
Dancing with the Stars fans were surprised when Sean Spicer was named as a contestant for Season 28 in August 2019. Not many people saw it coming, to say the least, especially since Spicer had never expressed a public desire to star on TV. As such, the casting sparked mixed reactions and an intense wave of backlash, including a jab from the series' host, Tom Bergeron. Claiming to have reached an "agreement" with producers to forgo casting anyone involved in politics, the reality TV host felt the need to speak out with his own pointed statement. "We can agree to disagree, as we do now, but ultimately it's their call," Bergeron tweeted after expressing regret about the decision. "I'll leave it to them to answer any further questions about those decisions."
Spicer responded to the criticism with his own statement. "I hope it will be a politics-free zone," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "My hope is that at the end of the season, Tom looks back on this and realizes what a great example it was of being able to bring people of really diverse backgrounds together to have fun with each other, engage in a real civil and respectful way and maybe show millions of Americans how we can get back to that kind of interaction."
Sean Spicer goes Hollywood
Before Sean Spicer landed a gig on Dancing with the Stars, he first tried his hand at TV when he became a special correspondent for Extra in February 2019. Spicer's goal? To interview high-profile people (fellow former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, etc.) "in a relaxed atmosphere." Spicer told The Hollywood Reporter that the sit-downs were supposed to be "pleasant experiences," consciously straying away from controversial topics. "When they pitched this to me, I said, 'Yeah, I love the idea,'" he told the outlet. "Obviously, we started in my wheelhouse of Republicans, but we hope to make this bipartisan and to offer people an opportunity and a platform to give people a better understanding of who they are as people. This is the personal, not the politics, not the policy." Spicer added, "The idea is to give people a different angle on some of the people they see on the cable news channels every day."
Similar to the DWTS backlash, the response to Spicer's Extra job was pretty negative. "Not familiar with Extra but obviously I haven't missed anything if their bar is low enough to hire Spicy. Lol, it's got to be sooooo bad!" one person tweeted, while another accurately predicted his future reality TV run, joking: "LOL Next step...DWTS."
Social media outrage aside, we can't help but wonder if Spicer enjoys the spotlight more than he'd like to admit...
White House? What White House?
When Sean Spicer left his position as White House Press Secretary in July 2017, he blamed his departure on his penchant for making headlines. "I had become the story too often," he explained to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in August 2018. "That's not a good place for a spokesperson to be ... I knew it wasn't getting better and I wanted to make sure that I was ready, because at some point I knew that the end was coming, and it was coming sooner rather than later."
Of course, it's not too far off to wonder whether Spicer will ever reconsider his position now that he has had time to recoup. But the likelihood of this is admittedly slim to none, as Spicer told MSNBC's Hallie Jackson that he'll never, ever return to the White House. "Oh, would I go back? Oh no. No, no, no," he replied with a laugh when asked in June 2019. The author of 2018's The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President added, "I've told the president many times I was honored to do it, but I'm much more happy and relaxed and less stressful now."
Fair enough.
Sean Spicer was awarded a prestigious role
Sean Spicer, who attended the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island and is a Commander in the Naval Reserve, was appointed by President Donald Trump in July 2019 to serve on the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors. It's a prestigious role, especially since an acting president can only appoint six people to the board, while the vice president gets three picks. As a member of the board, Spicer's job is to keep tabs on the school's "morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs [and] academic methods," according to the Legal Information Institute, and he must visit the Academy once a year so he can report back to the president with any "views and recommendations" he might have. The board also meets as a group multiple times throughout the year to discuss various topics, all the way from recruitment to future events.
Spicer was honored to receive the nod, tweeting: "Thank @POTUS @realDonaldTrump for the honor to serve as a member of the Board of Visitors to the US @NavalAcademy #usna #gonavy #beatarmy #usnavy #navy."
All about Sean Spicer's work with veterans
In addition to Sean Spicer's work with the U.S. Navy, he's kept busy serving veterans as a board member of the Independence Fund. The organization is "committed to empowering our nation's catastrophically wounded, injured, or ill Veterans to overcome physical, mental, and emotional wounds incurred in the line of duty," according to its website – a cause near and dear to the former press secretary's heart.
Spicer has often partnered with country music group Florida Georgia Line to carry out the organization's mission, inviting veterans to various concerts and surprising them with tracked/all-terrain wheelchairs, to name a few benefits. All-terrain wheelchairs can help a person with a disability's "mobility range" and provide them more independence, gifts these veterans don't take for granted. "It's something that can provide me access to woods and all kinds of places that you can you really can't do in a regular wheelchair," one recipient told KYW Radio.
No matter how you might feel about Spicer, it's hard to not give him kudos for his advocacy, because veterans deserve all of the support they can get.
Spicer's thirst for politics hasn't disappeared
When Republicans lost the House in November 2018, Sean Spicer co-created a GOP consulting agency called point1 to help win back lost seats. According to Spicer's personal website, it's a "mail, digital, and consulting firm that works with top Republican candidates in key races across the country." As of this writing, point1 has worked with a long list of conservative politicians, including Virginia Rep. Ben Cline, Nebraska Sen. John Arch, and Mississippi Sen. Rita Potts Parks, to name a few examples.
Spicer doesn't only work behind the scenes, however, as he frequently attends fundraising events and rallies for his clients. "Great to be back in Roanoke to support Ben Cline for Congress!" he captioned an April 2019 shot of himself at a campaign event for Cline.
It's possible Spicer decided to go above and beyond for his clients after wrongly predicting the GOP would retain control of the House following the 2018 election. "I think that we've got a greater and greater chance of keeping the House," he said during an appearance on Fox News (via The Hill). "It may be slim but I feel good about it." Oops.
Yep, Sean Spicer still isn't happy with Democrats
When Sean Spicer was White House Press Secretary, he wasn't immune to getting into fights with reporters. As it turns out, Spicer still has his dukes up, as he often engages in battles with Democrats through the press. Just one good example? Look no further than his April 2019 op-ed piece published in The Wall Street Journal titled, "The Democrats' Debate Debacle." Spicer blasted the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) decision to forgo a 2020 primary debate hosted by Fox News, stating: "It may not be long before Fox announces it will host a debate independent of the DNC. With 2.4 million prime-time viewers, it would be near impossible for many candidates to say no, especially those near the bottom looking to break out."
He also predicted the Democratic presidential candidates would implode on stage, writing: "Another controversy is likely to occur when top-tier candidates object to being on stage with those at the very bottom of the polls, who will attack the front-runners in hope of generating their 'viral moment.'"
Yep, it seems as though Spicer won't be backing down from this type of rhetoric anytime soon.
He's still chummy with his former co-workers
Some White House officials leave their roles amid controversy, like former political aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman. The reality star burned lots of bridges on her way out, becoming a persona non grata overnight. This wasn't the case for Sean Spicer, however, as he's still on good terms with many of his ex-colleagues following his July 2017 departure. Case in point: When former Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her exit from the job in June 2019, Spicer penned a heartfelt note in her honor. "On my last day as Press Secretary, I walked out of the gates of the White House gate for the final time with my team," his Instagram message read. "I was honored to have Sarah as the principal deputy. I wish her all the best as she walks out the gate for the last time as Press Secretary."
Spicer also attended a goodbye party for Sanders, posing in a chummy photo-op alongside her and President Donald Trump. Given Trump's habit of bashing ex-staffers, it's pretty wild that Spicer has managed to stay in his good graces.
Sean Spicer's fight against cancer is personal
It's not uncommon for public figures like Sean Spicer to have certain causes near and dear to their heart. As for the former White House Press Secretary, look no further than his fight to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. Spicer feels connected to this issue because his father, Michael Spicer, died from the disease right after the 2016 presidential election. It was understandably a big blow for Spicer. "Being able to share my experiences at the White House with my family was one of my favorite parts of my time there," he stated on his website. "And I never got to do that with my father."
In light of the loss, Spicer hopes to raise money and public awareness about pancreatic cancer. "So many others have lost loved ones to pancreatic cancer before their time, the same way I lost my father," he continued. "Please consider joining me in continuing their fight against the disease and help us find a cure."
Spicer is also known to share memories of his dad on Instagram while opening up about his latest fundraising efforts, like when he captioned a snapshot of himself and his dad in May 2019 with: "Next weekend my family and I will be walking in the PurpleStride 5k in D.C. with a fundraising goal of $5,000 to help find a cure for this disease."