Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer reportedly turned down a spot on Dancing With the Stars in 2017, citing an an “overwhelming number of commitments in the Fall.” Those agenda items appear to have been fulfilled, because ABC announced Wednesday that Spicer will join Karamo Brown, Christie Brinkley, and James Van Der Beek on DTWS’s new season, which debuts September 16.
Spicer has faced a rockier road to a post-White House life than many press secretaries. He wasn’t able to land a paid contributor role on any of the big networks, his book was poorly reviewed and didn’t exactly light up the book industry, and a plan for him to star in a talk show has yet to take root. He has found work as a correspondent for Extra, as well as several other roles, including speaking engagements and a visiting fellowship at Harvard, where he insisted sessions be kept off the record.
Spicer, whom TMZ’s source described as “not a good dancer,” does in fact have some experience with DWTS-type competitions: He judged a similar contest in Tyson’s in November 2017.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
