Don't mention Melissa McCarthy! Sean Spicer gets through White House press briefing without a word about SNL parody (and doesn't use a super soaker on reporters)

  • Sean Spicer conducts first briefing since he was impersonated by Melissa McCarthy on  Saturday Night Live 
  • But neither he or a room full of White House reporters mentions McCarthy's parody version  - until a shouted question as he walks off the podium
  • Sketch mocked his gum habit and saw him fire a super-soaker at reporters - after calling them all 'Glenn'
  • Trump has not passed comment on the parody but reports claim he was unhappy to see a male member of staff being played by a woman 

By Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent, For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:26 EST, 7 February 2017 | Updated: 15:44 EST, 7 February 2017

Sean Spicer is no Melissa McCarthy.

The White House press secretary proved far less lively than his Saturday Night parody version as he took to the podium for the first time since she impersonated him on the show.

And for half an hour, he and a room packed with White House reporters steadfastly avoided mentioning the other press briefing which created laughter across  the nation - and beyond - on Saturday night.

Spicer had already given his verdict on the show's chewing-gum guzzling, Super Soaker-deploying version of himself.

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It's the real one: Sean Spicer took the podium in the White House on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since he was impersonated by Melissa McCarthy

It's the real one: Sean Spicer took the podium in the White House on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since he was impersonated by Melissa McCarthy

Spot the difference: Melissa McCarthy playing Sean Spicer has proved to be a huge hit for Saturday Night Live

Spot the difference: Melissa McCarthy playing Sean Spicer has proved to be a huge hit for Saturday Night Live

Animated: Spicer got through the briefing without using a Super Soaker as his parody version Melissa McCarthy used to 'was that filthy lie out of your mouth'

Animated: Spicer got through the briefing without using a Super Soaker as his parody version Melissa McCarthy used to 'was that filthy lie out of your mouth'

But in a room which seemed to attract more reporters than usual for a briefing, there was question after question without a word more on the SNL version.

Reporters did not even ask Spicer about a report that the president was unhappy to see a male member of staff being played by a woman.

Instead it was a diet of the business of government which dominated the session, with questions on the travel ban, healthcare reform, the botched terror raid in Yemen which cost an American SEAL's life, and the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as education secretary.

Spicer managed not to approach his female doppleganger's level of deranged anger or use of props to illustrate points - including holding up stuffed toy animals to demonstrate what was meant by 'radical Moos-lambs'.

The only chance for him to engage came as he walked away from the podium after ending the briefing and a reporter shouted: 'Did you get a chance to watch the Saturday Night live, Sean?'

There was no answer. 

The reviews for McCarthy have been overwhelmingly positive - except perhaps from the man called Spicer's audience of one: Donald Trump.  

Following the episode, the President was surprisingly absent from Twitter, where he usually mocks the show, calling it 'unfunny' or 'unoriginal'. 

Spicer has, for weeks, been trying to repair his first impression behind the podium as Press Secretary, and find the right balance between representing an administration that considers the media to be the opposition, but also developing a functional relationship with the press.  

He is still clouded by his first outing in the briefing room as Press Secretary, in which he made false statements about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration and refused to take questions.

Senior White House officials Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks still attend the daily briefings and sit on the side to watch him, which signals that the administration may think their pick still needs some supervision, reported Politico. 

Spicersaid in a phone interview on Monday that it doesn't really matter what he thinks about the skit, and that: 'I would much rather have the focus be on the president's agenda and the success he's having.'

Spicersaid in a phone interview on Monday that it doesn't really matter what he thinks about the skit, and that: 'I would much rather have the focus be on the president's agenda and the success he's having.'

Insiders say he was not the first choice for the job. 

However, he has taken on the role seriously, and has added difficulty of doing two jobs at once while the administration seeks to fill his former job as communications director, according to Politico. 

He said in a phone interview on Monday that it doesn't really matter what he thinks about the skit, and that: 'I would much rather have the focus be on the president's agenda and the success he's having.'  

'PLEASE LET ROSIE O'DONNELL PLAY HIM!' TWITTER FANCASTS WHITE HOUSE ROLES AFTER TRUMP'S REACTION TO MELISSA MCCARTHY'S SPICER

After the report on how President Trump reacted negatively to Melissa McCarthy in drag embodying his Press Secretary Sean Spicer, a lot of people have taken to Twitter to make suggestions on other women who could play members of the Trump administration on SNL. 

The aspect of the sketch that bothered the President the most was apparently the fact that his administration member was played by a woman. 

The Politico report has sparked major interest on twitter, with many people calling for some of Trump's least favorite actresses to join the show, such as Meryl Streep and Rosie O'Donnell. 

O'Donnell tweeted back at one person, saying that if she got the call she 'would need to have a few days to prepare' and 'will be ready.'  

The Politico report has sparked major interest on twitter, with many people calling for some of Trump's least favorite actresses to join the show, such as Meryl Streep and Rosie O'Donnell. O'Donnell tweeted back at one person, saying that if she got the call she 'would need to have a few days to prepare' and 'will be ready'

The Politico report has sparked major interest on twitter, with many people calling for some of Trump's least favorite actresses to join the show, such as Meryl Streep and Rosie O'Donnell. O'Donnell tweeted back at one person, saying that if she got the call she 'would need to have a few days to prepare' and 'will be ready'

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