Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer made a shocking appearance

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer surprised the audience at the Emmys Sunday night when host Stephen Colbert brought him on stage during the opening monologue.

“Unfortunately, at this point tonight there’s no way to know how big this audience is. I mean is there anyone who can say how big the audience is? Sean do you know?” Colbert asked during his monologue, beckoning Spicer to the stage.

Spicer came onto the Emmy stage behind a mock White House press podium to announce, “This is the largest audience to witness the Emmys, period. Both in person and around the world.”

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https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/909584184527675392
Are you watching what @SeanSpicer confirmed is the largest #Emmys ever, period? What are you waiting for? https://t.co/Fa37TDorZB pic.twitter.com/MGHlTN3JdO

The joke is in reference to when Spicer said that Trump’s inauguration had the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — which was not, in fact, accurate. The Los Angeles Times reported that 30.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the broadcasted inauguration. That’s seven million fewer viewers than Obama had for his in 2009. And Trump’s inauguration didn’t come close to beating the record for the most-viewed presidential inauguration. That record is held by President Reagan, whose inauguration garnered 48.1 million viewers in 1981.

(The Atlantic also has a good side-by-side photo comparing the crowd at Trump’s inauguration to the crowd at Obama’s first inauguration.)

The Emmy audience was shocked at Spicer’s appearance, especially Melissa McCarthy, who impersonated Spicer on “Saturday Night Live” multiple times last season.

“Melissa McCarthy everybody. Give it up,” Colbert said as Spicer exited the stage, a nod to McCarthy’s recurring impersonation of Spicer.

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Melissa mccarthy’s face when Sean spicer comes on stage is everything #emmys2017 pic.twitter.com/YXJJAuZVdP

McCarthy wasn’t the only one surprised. Viewers had mixed reactions to Spicer’s presence at the Emmys that ranged from outrage to amusement.

Here are some of the top reactions to Spicer’s presence on the award show:

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Harvard fellowships, Emmy appearances, huge speaking fees: there’s just gonna be no penalty for working in Trump’s White House, huh?Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/909573416147210240
So, the ‘joke’ of bringing Spicer out at the Emmys was that he consistently lied from the podium?Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/909572105297051648
Omg #SeanSpicer at the #Emmys Awesome! Too funny! Great that you can laugh at yourself Sean and what you had to do! pic.twitter.com/lwaRzJKOyYTweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/909572367147425792
HE SERIOUSLY DID THAT. THEY GOT #SeanSpicer TO COME.