Dancing with the Stars producers, fixed on locking in Republican viewers and hoping for bigger ratings this fall, have given the green light to former Trump mouthpiece Sean Spicer to make direct appeal for conservative votes.
A day after being announced on the Season 28 cast, Spicer today went straight to Fox News to appeal for Trump backers and Republicans to vote for him.
Not for his dance skills, but for his political ideology.
Spicer addressed the concerns of the show’s host Tom Bergeron that the competition should be free from politics, and said he agrees with him.
But as soon as he said it, he appealed to the pro-Trump viewers to vote for him to stay in the show, which reportedly pays celebrities at least $125,000 and up to $295,000 depending on their popularity.
After Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt said about Bergeron: ‘I hate that he brought up politics. 50 percent of this country is going to be watching and they’re conservative and they support this president, this administration,’ Spicer laughed and replied: ‘And I need their vote.’
Bergeron tweeted Wednesday after it was announced Spicer would be on the show: ‘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 from inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations.’
[READ: DWTS Host Tom Bergeron SLAMS Decision To Cast Spicer]
In reply, Spicer said: ‘He’s entitled to his opinion, I share his sentiment, this should be two hours of politics-free. But more than that I hope this show is an example of a bunch of people from different backgrounds leaving politics aside and having a civil time.’
When asked what he’ll say to Bergeron when he sees him on the show, Spicer replied: ‘I’m focused on working hard and learning how to dance.’
The Fox hosts went on to mention other conservatives who have participated in the show including Tom Delay and Rick Perry.
Republicans Rick Perry and Tom Delay
Meanwhile, Karamo Brown, the culture guru on Netflix’s Queer Eye, is being criticized for defending Spicer.
In an interview with Access on Wednesday, Brown gushed about how he was “most excited to meet” the former White House official.
“People would look at us and think that we’re polar opposites,” Brown told the outlet. “But I’m a big believer that if you can talk to someone and meet in the middle, you can learn about each other and help each other both grow.”
Brown said that he and Spicer had been in conversation “all day” Wednesday, calling him a “good guy, really sweet guy.”
Who gave you permission, haters? #QueerEye‘s @Karamo is defending his fellow #DWTS contestant Sean Spicer: “He’s a good guy.” ❤️️ pic.twitter.com/A1wDdFFZi2
— Access (@accessonline) August 21, 2019
The Queer Eye host’s comments didn’t sit well with many fans.
“Get a fucking grip,” said author and essayist Roxane Gay in a tweet directed toward Brown. “There is no friendship with people who enable fascism.”
In a since-deleted tweet, the Queer Eye host responded to writer Evan Ross Katz, who’d pressed him on his decision to defend Spicer.
“Here’s Karamo Brown calling Sean Spicer ‘a good guy; a really sweet guy’ cause what’s morality, really?” Ross said on Twitter.
To which Brown said, “I honestly can’t stand people like you who post things like this … We fight harder than your ass ever has for people of color and members of the LGBTQIA community.”
Brown has resorted to blocking people who try to engage with him on the matter.
The new season of DWTS will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, September 16 on ABC.