(Screenshot from Instagram.)
James Corden stirred up some controversy when he was photographed playfully kissing former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who made a surprise appearance at the Emmys on Sunday.
Corden took time during his monologue on Monday night’s episode of his late night talk show to admit he is “disappointed” in the photo and blamed the alcohol.
“The big winners last night were Donald Glover, Hulu and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. Spicer won best actor in a comedy for his role in Donald Trump’s administration,” Corden says.
“According to some reports at the after party, Spicer was the post popular guy in the room.” Corden continued. “And I just want to say, I think people are forgetting that this man lied to the American people, and should not be embraced. These Hollywood phonies kissing up to Sean Spicer are disgusting. I mean, who did this? Who are we talking about here?”
A photo of Corden kissing Spicer appears on the screen to which Corden responds, ““I know you think that is a picture of me kissing Sean Spicer. But in the spirit of Sean Spicer — no, it isn’t.”
Corden took some responsibility for the photo and chalked it up to a drunken mistake.
“Anyone ever have that feeling when you get a little drunk and then wake up the next morning and think, ‘Oh God, who did I kiss last night?’ It’s a bit like that,” Corden says. “To be fair, everyone was kissing ass last night at the Emmys. I just happened to kiss the biggest one there.”
But Corden admits he understands why people were uncomfortable.
“Understandably, some people have been disappointed by this photo. In truth, I’m disappointed by it as well. I am, I’ve have been reading a lot of harsh comments on Twitter today, and I hear you loud and clear, truly, I do,” Corden says.
Watch below.
