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In his monologue on Monday, “Late Late Show” host James Corden attempted to apologize for kissing Sean Spicer at the Emmy Awards on Sunday — and managed to turn it into another joke.

“Now, I know you think that’s a picture of me kissing Sean Spicer, but in the spirit of Sean Spicer, no it isn’t,” he said on his show Monday night.

In case you missed it, Corden was responding to a photo taken following the Emmys on Sunday in which he can be seen planting one on the cheek of the former White House press secretary who made a surprise cameo during the awards telecast.

Also Read: Emmys: Sean Spicer Parodies His Inflated Inauguration Crowd Claims in Surprise Appearance

James Corden (@j_corden) shows @seanmspicer some love after the former White House press secretary's surprise appearance at the #Emmys (Photo by Invision/AP/REX/@Shutterstocknow)

A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Sep 17, 2017 at 9:47pm PDT

“To be fair, everyone was kissing ass last night at the Emmys — I just happened to kiss the biggest one there,” Corden said.

Spicer’s Emmy cameo drew a harsh response online, as did Corden’s offscreen photo.

Corden first tried some self-deprecation to respond to his critics. “I just want to say, I think people are forgetting that this man lied to the American people and should not be embraced. These Hollywood phonies kissing up to Sean Spicer are disgusting. I mean, who did this? Who are we talking about here?”

Also Read: James Corden Clowns Around as Pennywise in 'It' Spoof (Video)

Then he turned more earnest. “Understandably, some people have been disappointed by this photo. In truth, I’m disappointed by it as well,” he said. “I’ve been reading a lot of harsh comments on Twitter today, and I hear you loud and clear. Truly, I do. So much so that I’m starting to regret that ‘Carpool Karaoke’ that we’ve taped with Steve Bannon. Feels like a mistake today.”

Corden then continued the bit by showing multiple photos of him kissing other celebrities, including Harry Styles, Allison Janney and Daniel Radcliffe.

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

Also Read: Sean Spicer 'Absolutely' Regrets Slamming Reporters Over Inauguration Crowd Size

Here were some of the online reactions to Corden’s initial smooch, including a comparison to NBC late-night host Jimmy Fallon’s infamous tussling of Donald Trump’s hair last year.

nope. https://t.co/m8BzDmatiQ

— deray mckesson (@deray) September 18, 2017

This is how @JKCorden normalizes Sean Spicer. This isn't cute or having a laugh. There isn't any middle ground here. Corden chose. #Emmys https://t.co/Mcr4pyIiGP

— April (@ReignOfApril) September 18, 2017

Dear @JKCorden
This is disgusting. You had JUST won me over. You are a spineless hypocrite.
Love,
Ken https://t.co/XtT5Yz1hbV

— Ken Reid (@KennethWReid) September 18, 2017

pic.twitter.com/tFmXeIG0OS

— Andy Kelly (@ultrabrilliant) September 18, 2017

Emmys 2017: Best and Worst Moments From Sean Spicer to '9 to 5' Reunion (Photos)

The 2017 Emmy Awards were full of highs and lows on Sunday night. From host's Stephen Colbert's opening monologue to the final award of the night, here are the show's best and worst moments.
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Best: Colbert's opening musical number
Host Stephen Colbert opened the show with a musical number celebrating television as escapist entertainment in these tumultuous times. After jaunting through shows like "This Is Us," "The Americans," "Veep" and "Archer," Colbert ended up on stage joined by a line of dancing Handmaids in a lively start to the show.
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Worst: Sean Spicer cameo
The most surprising appearance of the night was Sean Spicer rolling out a podium during Colbert's opening monologue to proclaim that this year's Emmys will have the largest audience ever, "period." A former White House spokesperson making a joke out of having lied to the country was supposed to be ... funny?
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Best: Donald Glover makes history
Donald Glover won the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, making him the first black director to ever win the category. He then dedicated a good portion of his acceptance speech to regular "Atlanta" director Hiro Murai, a small but significant reminder that the Emmys still have a long way to go in terms of diversity.
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Worst: Rachel Bloom fails to make accountants exciting
The annual appearance of the accountants behind the vote tabulations at the Emmys is never going to be fun, despite Rachel Bloom's valiant efforts. The "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" star's musical number was fun, but also a sad reminder what a travesty it is that she was once again snubbed for a nomination -- and omitted from the night's big musical opening.
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Best: That "9 to 5" reunion
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton got one of the biggest reactions of the night when they came out to present an award together and proclaimed all these years later that they still refuse to be controlled by "a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot." Bonus points for an improvised vibrator joke from Parton.
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Worst: Thandi Newton?
If the Emmy's misspell Thandie Newton's name when they're announcing the nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, did she really lose?
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Best: Lena Waithe also makes history
"Master of None's" impeccable Season 2 episode "Thanksgiving" won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, making Lena Waithe (who co-wrote the episode with creator Aziz Ansari) the first black woman to win in the category. Speaking for both of them, Waithe gave a powerfully concise acceptance speech about the importance of representation.
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Worst: A saggy back half
Awards shows are long, and like any other the 2017 Emmys suffered from a boring last 90 minutes or so. The night had few genuinely surprising upsets and by the halfway point the ceremony settled into a predictable rhythm, making it feel like it dragged on for days.
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Best: "Big Little Lies" stars champion female friendship
Accepting the award for Outstanding Limited Series at the Emmys, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon used the platform to call for more stories about women on television. Kidman said "Big Little Lies" was born out of her friendship with Witherspoon, and forged by their shared "frustration" at the lack of good female stories. Given the show's awards sweep, maybe Hollywood will finally heed their call.
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Worst: Music plays off Sterling K. Brown
Sterling K. Brown seemed genuinely excited to win an Emmy for his work on "This Is Us," so it was a shame when the band tried to cut off his speech. Nevertheless he persisted, shouting his speech over the music even after his microphone cut out.
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From Stephen Colbert’s musical opening to a surprise Sean Spicer cameo

The 2017 Emmy Awards were full of highs and lows on Sunday night. From host's Stephen Colbert's opening monologue to the final award of the night, here are the show's best and worst moments.

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