The Sean Spicer Show, After a Colorful Run, Gets Canceled
Glenn Thrush, the New York Times reporter who broke news of Mr. Spicer’s resignation on Friday, was the subject of a memorable impression from Bobby Moynihan on “Saturday
Night Live.” Ms. Ryan, a 20-year veteran of White House coverage, became an in-demand commentator soon after Mr. Spicer chastised her in a televised briefing.
Mr. Negrin, who has a six-foot-long canvas poster of Mr. Spicer hanging in his New York apartment (“it looks like
he’s looking right into my eyes”), heard of Mr. Spicer’s exit on Friday morning and tweeted, simply, “omg.”
Then he posted a video obituary for Mr. Spicer’s tenure titled, “Sean Spicer’s Daily
On-Camera Press Briefings, 2017-2017.” It had been prepared ahead of time.
Like a popular actor leaving a sitcom, Sean Spicer resigned on Friday as White House press secretary, a move
that deprives the daily briefing of its central character (its hero or its villain, depending on the viewer) and spells the end of an unlikely cottage industry that has sprung up around the man who might already be the most famous press secretary of modern times.
The actress Melissa McCarthy earned an Emmy nomination for an instantly famous Spicer impression on “Saturday Night Live.” April D. Ryan,
a correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, leapt to cable news stardom after clashing with Mr. Spicer in the briefing room.
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUMJULY 21, 2017
Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, has had a turbulent tenure, marked by a combative style with the news media.
Under President Trump, the White House news briefing — once a Sisyphean burden for rumpled reporters — became the hottest
reality show in town, a star-making showcase for journalists where heated exchanges went viral and drove big ratings.