James Corden admits he’s ‘disappointed’ in himself for kissing Sean Spicer at Emmy Awards after backlash

James Corden has admitted to being “disappointed” in himself for kissing former White House press secretary Sean Spicer at the Emmy Awards after a photo of the pair sparked a backlash.

The British star told Late Late Show viewers that he heard his critics “loud and clear” after the picture went viral on Sunday night, with many people accusing him of “normalising fascism”.

Addressing the photo on Monday night’s show, Corden jokingly compared the situation to getting “a little drunk” and waking up with regrets over who you kissed the night before.

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

“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 post 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."

As the photo of him the pair flashed up on the screen, he added “These Hollywood phonies kissing up to Sean Spicer are disgusting. I mean, who did this? Who are we talking about here?”

Corden joked: “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.