The critical consensus is that Melissa McCarthy nailed her impression of Sean ”That Gum You Swallow Is Coming Back Into Style” Spicer on Saturday Night Live last month. She displayed the same short fuse, veneer of sweat, and inability to summon words as the White House press secretary. Spicer has pretended to be okay with the mocking, even making a half-assed attempt at co-opting the joke.
McCarthy will return to properly host the sketch show on May 13, and she’s already been inundated with questions about whether Spicer will be back with her. The odds are looking good, as McCarthy tells USA Today she’s been keeping up with Spicer’s press conferences to hone her act: “I’m just watching and observing. I (hope) for everyone to have clarity and better things to say. And in the meantime, I just squirrel away notes.” It sounds like McCarthy is actually hoping that Spicer will learn how to do his job somewhat; if he does eventually master the English language, that could mean she’ll have to tweak her impression. But we probably won’t have to worry about her making lucid arguments on SNL anytime soon, as Spicer doesn’t seem to grasp what “limited” means.