“It’s time to have some fun,” former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said of his upcoming appearance on “Dancing With the Stars." | John Lamparski/Getty Images politics Sean Spicer is 'Dancing With the Stars.' Tom Bergeron isn't happy about it. The TV host said he hoped the show 'would be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate.'

Sean Spicer, who gained national notoriety for his rocky tenure as President Donald Trump's first press secretary, will sashay back into Americans' collective consciousness when he competes in the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars."

But the former White House official appears to have already gotten off on the wrong foot with one of the hosts of the long-running reality television dance tournament, Tom Bergeron.


In a lengthy statement posted to Twitter on Tuesday, Bergeron said he "offered suggestions" for Season 28 of “Dancing With the Stars" during a lunch meeting with the show's new executive producer.

"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 of inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations. I left that lunch convinced we were in agreement," Bergeron wrote.

"Subsequently (and rather obviously), a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, 'go in a different direction,'" he added.

Bergeron intimated again Wednesday during a radio interview that he wished Spicer had not been recruited. “My preference — it’s not my call, other people book the show — would have been to avoid any political lightning rods,” he told SiriusXM’s "EW Live."

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Earlier in the morning, ABC announced the show's latest celebrity lineup on “Good Morning America.”

“Straight from the briefing room, it’s Sean Spicer!” proclaimed ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee during a glitzy segment introducing the contestants.

Two black-shirted production assistants rolled out a lectern to the applause of an in-studio audience waving gold cheer poms, and Spicer offered a wave and a single clap before taking his seat in a director's chair alongside country music singer and former “American Idol” aspirant Lauren Alaina.

“Now that everybody is assembled, honestly — and ignore the fact we're on live television — how many of you are having second thoughts already?” Bergeron asked after the contenders had been revealed. Spicer raised his hand.

“The nice thing is, Sean will be in charge of assessing audience size,” Bergeron later quipped.

In a brief exchange of on-air pleasantries, Spicer asserted he is a significantly less talented dancer than his mother-in-law, and revealed he was kicked out of his school's band in the sixth grade.

"The quote was, 'You have the sense of beat of a steamroller,'" Spicer recalled, adding that his strategy on the show would be to "work really, really, really, really hard."

But Trump’s ex-spokesman struck a merrier tone on Twitter. "It’s time to have some fun. Excited to join a great cast and show @DancingABC," he wrote online.

It’s time to have some fun. Excited to join a great cast and show @DancingABC https://t.co/X6p86eiL0Y — Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) August 21, 2019

Spicer also re-posted a message of support from the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action, which tweeted: "Good luck, Sean!"

Spicer resigned from the White House in July 2017 after six months on the job in protest of Trump's decision to name Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, who was fired from that position within 11 days.

News outlets including POLITICO reported following Spicer's exit that “Dancing With the Stars” had expressed interest in him joining the show. Trump's Energy secretary, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, competed on the program in 2016 and was voted off in that season's second week.

Since leaving the administration, Spicer signed with Worldwide Speakers Group, made a self-deprecating cameo appearance at the Emmy Awards, was interviewed by former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators, and unveiled a life-size wax likeness of first lady Melania Trump at Madame Tussauds New York.

He also authored a book on his time in the Trump White House which was published in July 2018, and was controversially offered a visiting fellowship from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” featuring Spicer premieres Sept. 16, but it remains unclear just how popular the Republican operative will prove among viewers.

A survey conducted in April 2017 by E-Score, a polling company used by major talent agencies and TV executives to assess celebrities, found that 64 percent of respondents had a negative opinion of Spicer, compared with 36 percent who liked him. Spicer’s overall score — based on awareness, appeal and attributes — was 13 out of 100.

Spicer kicked off his first White House press briefing in January 2017 by falsely claiming Trump’s inauguration had drawn the “largest audience” ever for such an event, and his combative relationship with reporters was memorably parodied by actress Melissa McCarthy on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."