Trump ruins Sean Spicer's duet with the Muppets on Stephen Colbert's Late Show

Sean Spicer and the Muppets duet — (Image credit: Late Show)

Every White House press secretary has some particular verbal tics, and Sean Spicer uses the word "phenomenal" quite a bit. The writers on Stephen Colbert's Late Show put that together with a classic Muppet Show skit, and everything went swimmingly until President Trump stepped in.

The Late Show wasn't the first to swap "phenomena" for "mahna mahna." And as you watch Sandra Bullock and Kermit goof in this 1996 episode of Muppets Tonight, just imagine the possibilities for Spicer's next press briefing — or Saturday Night Live's next skewering of it. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.