James Corden Addresses *That* Sean Spicer Photo But Falls Short Of Apologising Following Backlash

James Corden has spoken out after a photo of him kissing Sean Spicer at the Emmys caused widespread criticism.

The ‘Late Late Show’ host was snapped cosying up to the former White House press secretary following the ceremony on Sunday night, when Spicer put in a surprise appearance.

After the photo surfaced and subsequently went viral, the British star was accused of “normalising fascism”.

Addressing the backlash on his US chat show on Monday night, the host made light of the situation before admitting he was “disappointed” with himself, but stopped short of apologising.

“The big winners last night were Donald Glover, Hulu and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer,” he said. “Spicer won best actor in a comedy for his role in Donald Trump’s administration.

“I’m kidding, of course. But Sean Spicer actually did make a cameo at last night’s ceremony.

“According to some reports, at the after-party, Spicer was the most popular guy in the room. And I just want to say, I think people are forgetting that this man lied to the American people, and should not be embraced.”

Before he continued, the photo in question flashed up on the screen behind him.

“These Hollywood phonies kissing up to Sean Spicer are disgusting. I mean, who did this? Who are we talking about here?

“Yeah. I know you think that is a picture of me kissing Sean Spicer. But in the spirit of Sean Spicer - no, it isn’t.

“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.”

The presenter then changed his tone, telling his critics he had heard them “loud and clear”.

He continued: “Understandably, some people have been disappointed by this photo. In truth, I’m disappointed by it as well. I am. I have been reading a lot of harsh comments on Twitter today, and I hear you loud and clear, truly, I do.

“I can promise you this, that kiss was a one-time thing. I’m not one of these people who has a couple of drinks and goes around kissing people that I don’t know. Except for that one time with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, right?

“Basically, what I’m saying is, I need to learn how to shake hands.”