How Stephen Colbert made Sean Spicer’s surprise Emmys joke happen

THE Emmys started with a shock cameo from the last person anyone expected to see. It took an absurdly elaborate plan to fool the celebrity audience.

SEAN Spicer has revealed the top-secret plan behind his surprise appearance at the Emmys, which became one of the night’s big talking points.

Spicer, Donald Trump’s former press secretary, made a cameo at yesterday’s awards ceremony when he was wheeled out a podium on the Emmys stage to make a joke about the crowd size.

“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period — both in person and around the world,” he said, as audience members gasped and were visibly shocked.

Anna Chlumsky’s face said it all.

Melissa McCarthy has regularly impersonated Spicer on SNL.

It was a reference to his Inauguration Day appearance in the press room where he disputed reports about how many people watched President Donald Trump take the oath of office.

In an interview with The New York Times, Spicer revealed few people knew about his appearance at the Emmys.

He even went as far to wear a disguise when he left Washington for Los Angeles, where the Emmys are held, possibly including fake facial hair.

“This was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event,” Spicer told the Times.

Once in Los Angeles, he reportedly stayed in his hotel room, only taking part in one closed door rehearsal in front of as few people as possible. His name also didn’t appear on Emmys scripts.

Colbert reportedly suggested the joke himself, and managed to get Spicer to agree through his producer at CBS, who knew Spicer.

Colbert pulled strings to get Spicer to the show. Photo: Dan Steinberg/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images

His joke has been widely criticised. For many, it was an attempt to “normalise” a former White House Press Secretary who “repeatedly” and “blatantly” lied to the American people on behalf of President Trump.

This story was originally published in the NZ Herald.