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 Sep. 19, 2017, 11:59 PM GMT / Updated Sep. 19, 2017, 11:59 PM GMT By Claire Atkinson 
 
 The big five news organizations have passed on offering former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer a job as an exclusive paid contributor, network sources confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday. 
 
 Since Spicer exited the White House, his representatives have been holding individual conversations about the possibility of President Donald Trump's former flack joining one of the major TV networks, which include CBS News, CNN, Fox News, ABC News and NBC News. 
 
 But "they won't touch him," said a media industry executive familiar with those conversations. 
 
 “The news organizations might use him on roundtables, but [a paid exclusive contributor job] is not happening,” the executive added. 
 
 A number of network insiders who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their business relationships said none of the networks were interested in hiring Spicer because of a "lack of credibility." 
 
 Representatives of the five news networks all declined to comment. Spicer and Robert Barnett, his representative, also declined to comment. 
 
 CNN had already said it wasn’t interested in him ahead of planned conversations, while Axios reported on Sept. 7 that Fox News would not be offering Spicer a TV contract. Fox News has previously hired the former White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Dana Perino. On Tuesday, sources with knowledge of the decisions confirmed that CBS News, ABC News and NBC News also would not offer him an exclusive role. 
 
 A person familiar with Spicer’s ongoing talks said that while conversations had not concluded, network punditry wasn’t the most important measure of success and that Spicer may want more freedom to work for multiple outlets. There are also talks about a nonscripted reality show in the mix, said one person familiar with the situation. 
 
 Meanwhile, there could also be interest in Spicer from other outlets. 
 
 Spicer announced he was leaving the White House in July after news broke that Trump had appointed voluble Wall Street executive Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, and he formally departed in August. (Scaramucci was ousted after just 10 days after his appointment was announced.) One of Spicer’s first moves was to hire Barnett, the veteran Washington politics and media lawyer. 
 
 Spicer already has a role as a visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and is signed with Worldwide Speakers Group for paid speaking engagements. The company website touts Spicer's ability to discuss "the people, philosophies and policies that matter most to the citizens of the U.S. and businesses around the world.” 
 
 On Sunday, Spicer surprised the Emmy Awards audience by rolling out on a podium and describing the size of the crowd — a nod to both actress Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of him on "Saturday Night Live" and a reference to Spicer’s incorrect contention that the president had attracted the “largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period,” in January. 
 
 When asked by The New York Times after the show if he regretted the way he had treated the press and their reporting on inauguration crowd size, he responded, “Of course I do, absolutely.” 
 
 Spicer reportedly turned down an invitation to compete on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” in August. ||||| Stephen Colbert had the idea to invite Sean Spicer up on stage at the Emmys on Sunday night. He and his producers knew there would be blowback. And there's been a whole lot. 
 
 But Colbert thought it would be funny and surprising, and that's what mattered most. 
 
 Spicer scored points for comedy but sparked a raging debate: Should Colbert and the Emmys have given Spicer a platform to rehabilitate an image so badly tarnished by his brief stint working as President Trump's spokesman? 
 
 Was Spicer "in on the joke?" Was he essentially admitting to lying to the American people from behind the White House podium? 
 
 As the debate went on late Sunday night, Colbert was celebrating his first gig hosting the Emmys at a late-night party in Los Angeles. Spicer was there too, taking selfies with celebrities and gawkers. He seemed to revel in the attention. 
 
 Related: Emmys 2017: The big moments that have people talking 
 
 Spicer resigned from his job as White House press secretary in July and formally left the administration in August. Now he is hitting the speaker circuit, landing consulting gigs and looking for a potential TV commentator job. He will be a visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics this fall. 
 
 Many Democrats and some anti-Trump Republicans are offended that Spicer -- who peddled misinformation on behalf of his boss -- is being embraced by institutions like Harvard. 
 
 "Harvard and the Emmys based on 7 months lying in the WH," former Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes tweeted. "America is not exactly a meritocracy and false equivalence trumps reality." 
 
 Some might see his Emmys appearance as an audition -- similar to his sit-down with Jimmy Kimmel on ABC last week. 
 
 He stood behind a faux podium and told Colbert, "This will be the largest audience to witness the Emmys, period -- both in person and around the world," poking fun at his false assertion about crowd size at President Trump's inauguration. 
 
 Spicer's insistence that Trump had a record crowd, despite photographic evidence to the contrary, was the first of many incidents that eroded Spicer's credibility and made him into a punchline on "SNL." 
 
 His "SNL" impersonator, Melissa McCarthy, was in the audience during Sunday night's bit, furthering the idea that Spicer was winking at his reputation. 
 
 The Emmys surprise came together just a few days before Sunday's telecast. Colbert wondered aloud if Spicer might play along, and one of his "Late Show" producers then pitched it, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the skit. 
 
 Spicer was already in Los Angeles for Kimmel's show last Wednesday. He briefly flew back east, to his home near Washington, then returned to Los Angeles for a secret dress rehearsal before the broadcast. 
 
 The auditorium was almost entirely emptied before Spicer practiced his lines, the source said, so that his participation wouldn't leak ahead of time. 
 
 The reveal went off without a hitch. From the live broadcast, it looked like the auditorium full of mostly liberal Hollywood celebrities lapped it up. There were laughs and lots of shocked faces. 
 
 Within minutes, however, a wave of criticism crested on social media. Journalists, activists and celebrities said they didn't think it was funny to treat Spicer's mendacious behavior like a throwaway laugh line. 
 
 The actor Zach Braff tweeted: "I'm not ready to laugh 'with' Sean Spicer. I think he is an evil, opportunistic liar that hurt our country." 
 
 The MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell commented that the Emmys "helped Spicer pump up his 'lecture' fees, which is all that matters to him now." 
 
 While many of the objections came from liberals, some conservatives also made arguments against the skit. 
 
 "I know people who were offered opportunities to lie for Donald Trump and quietly declined. Harvard & The Emmys calling the wrong folks," former Jeb Bush spokesman Tim Miller tweeted. 
 
 Among the counter-arguments: It was just a joke. And besides, wasn't Spicer actually admitting to his and Trump's dishonesty through comedy? 
 
 Colbert is an outspoken opponent of President Trump, and he doesn't fret about the perception that he's "normalizing" Spicer. "Donald Trump normalized Spicer," a source involved in the production said. 
 
 Spicer himself told The Hollywood Reporter that he hadn't considered the criticism his appearance might get. "I was more worried about the logistical reactions," he told the magazine after the show. "I've never wheeled a podium before. The one I'm used to is pretty stationary." 
 
 Both sources who spoke with CNN on Monday morning marveled at the way Spicer was mobbed by Emmys attendees both at the awards show and at the parties afterward. 
 
 "He could barely eat at the Governor's Ball, he was so popular," one of the sources said. 
 
 President Trump went from the entertainment world -- a hit show on NBC -- to politics. Now Spicer, a longtime spokesman for the Republican National Committee, is going in the other direction. 
 
 The Hollywood Reporter's Chris Gardner described Spicer in the auditorium lobby during the show, "posing for pics, drinking beer, soaking up all attention after onstage appearance." ||||| Sean Spicer may be entering the TV business. 
 
 President Donald Trump's former spokesman is teaming with Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury (The Wendy Williams Show) and Pilgrim Media Group (American Chopper) to develop a talk show called Sean Spicer's Common Ground, sources confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. 
 
 The potential series — a network is not yet attached — would see Spicer interviewing notable people in an informal setting, according to The New York Times, which first reported the news. The Times, which acquired a pitch sheet for a potential pilot for the series, reported that the show would feature Spicer hosting public figures for a drink and light conversation at a local pub or cafe. The pilot is poised to be filmed in July and would feature one guest per week. 
 
 Attorney Michael Avenatti, who has repped Stormy Daniels, has been approached as a guest for Spicer's pilot. (He declined.) 
 
 "In this current environment, I think it’s important to have a platform where we can have civil, respectful and informative discussions on the issues of the day,” Spicer told the Times. 
 
 The talk show is one of multiple projects Spicer is pursuing since leaving the White House last July. Repped by WME, Spicer has also launched a podcast, Everything's Going to Be All Right, with conservative writer Katie Pavlich, and joined America First Action, a super PAC created to support Trump and his allies. He also penned a book covering his six months in the White House that is due out July 24. A book tour, complete with documentary film crew, is expected. ||||| poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201701/545/1155968404_5293817837001_5293815934001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Spicer: 'Our intention is never to lie to you' The White House press secretary also doubles down on his claim that Trump's inauguration drew the largest audience ever. 
 
 The White House’s intention is never to lie, press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday, moments before doubling down on his claim that President Donald Trump’s inauguration drew the largest audience “both in person and around the globe.” 
 
 Days after delivering a five-minute statement to the press in which he stated at least five demonstrably false so-called facts and took no questions, Spicer was challenged on what his role is as the White House press secretary at his first official briefing. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 “Is it your intention to always tell the truth from that podium? And will you pledge never to knowingly say something that is not factual?” ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked Monday. 
 
 “It is. It’s an honor to do this, and yes, I believe that we have to be honest with the American people,” Spicer told reporters. “I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts. There are certain things that we may not fully understand when we come out, but our intention is never to lie to you.” 
 
 Trump and his top aides took heat over the weekend for false claims they made to the press corps about the size of the crowd at Trump's inauguration, which counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway described Sunday as “alternative facts.” 
 
 On Saturday, Spicer falsely claimed that Trump garnered “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period — both in person and around the globe.” He also misstated the presence of magnetometers, inaccurately portrayed D.C. Metro data and incorrectly claimed that floor coverings were used for the first time Friday, supposedly accentuating areas where people weren’t standing. 
 
 “You’re saying it’s a falsehood,” Conway told host Chuck Todd of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.” 
 
 On Monday, Spicer indicated his unprecedented rebuke of the news media from the White House briefing room was the culmination of frustration from Trump and his staff on how the political outsider who’s ascended to the presidency has for months been rendered in the media. 
 
 Spicer went through a stream of headlines that have continually doubted Trump and his decisions: he can’t win the Republican nomination, he can’t beat Hillary Clinton in a general election, he won’t win this state or that state, his crowds aren’t that big, he isn’t that successful a businessman, Spicer recalled. 
 
 “The default narrative is always negative, and it’s demoralizing,” he said, pleading for fairer news coverage. “Sometimes we’ll make mistakes — I promise you that. But it’s not always gotta be negative. Some days we do do the right thing. Some days we are successful. Part of this is saying when we’re right, say we’re right. When we’re wrong, say we’re wrong. But it’s not always wrong and negative.” 
 
 Spicer likened his statement over the weekend to a mistake by a reporter or news outlet that calls for a correction, suggesting his aim wasn’t to lie — much like mistakes in the media aren’t intentional — but that he relied on faulty data, specifically with statistics about Metro ridership compared to past inaugurations. 
 
 “At the time, the information that I was provided by the inaugural committee came from an outside agency that we reported on,” he explained about ridership numbers. “And I think knowing what we know now, we can tell that WMATA’s numbers are different, but we were trying to provide numbers that we had been provided. That wasn't like we made them up out of thin air.” 
 
 Nevertheless, he also doubled down on his claim of Trump’s inauguration being the most viewed ever, though he stated it in a slightly different fashion. Citing Nielsen ratings and CNN’s reported online viewership, Spicer asserted that “it’s unquestionable” that Trump’s was the most watched, if one adds up in-person attendance, and TV and online viewership. “And I don’t see any numbers that dispute that,” he said. 
 
 Spicer, as the public spokesman of the Trump administration, vowed to do his best every week and share “the facts as I know them” at his daily briefings, promising that the White House will correct their mistakes, if necessary. 
 
 He also seemed to confirm reports and speculation that he was directed by the president to deliver his angry reproach Saturday. 
 
 “I came out to read a statement, I did it,” he said. “We’re here today. I'm gonna stay here as long as you want. I think you guys might want to leave before I do. But, look, I want to make sure that we have a healthy relationship.” ||||| During his surprise comedy skit at the Emmys on Sunday, Sean Spicer may have made light of his six-month tenure as the White House press secretary, but a message was also embedded in his performance. 
 
 In an interview on Monday morning, Mr. Spicer said he now regrets one of his most infamous moments as press secretary: his decision to charge into the White House briefing room in January and criticize accurate news reports that President Barack Obama’s inauguration crowd was bigger than President Trump’s. 
 
 “Of course I do, absolutely,” Mr. Spicer said. 
 
 For Mr. Spicer, who resigned this summer after repeated clashes with the news media and a sharp disagreement with Mr. Trump over the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, the Emmys were his latest attempt to court the largely liberal coastal entertainment and news elites he so acidly disdained as the president’s alter-ego spokesman. The once-obscure party spokesman has been elevated to a level of celebrity he scarcely dreamed possible a year ago. And, like many before him, he hopes to translate his embattled tenure into something more lasting and lucrative. So the Emmys were also a chance for Mr. Spicer to cultivate a television industry audience that he may need as he seeks speaking engagements and paid television appearances in his post-White House life.
– The Emmys helped Sean Spicer "rebrand," according to CNN—but apparently not enough. The five major news networks have passed on the opportunity to have the former White House press secretary as an exclusive paid contributor, reports NBC News. Spicer's representatives had brought the proposal to CBS News, CNN, Fox News, ABC News, and NBC News, but none were receptive, NBC reports, citing insiders who referred to Spicer's "lack of credibility." That doesn't mean Spicer won't be gracing your TV screens shortly. Insiders tell NBC that major networks may be willing to host him, just not exclusively. There might also be a Spicer reality show in the works, one source says. Spicer has already signed with Worldwide Speakers Group to manage his paid speaking engagements. He also has a gig as a visiting fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, the New York Times previously reported. But even Harvard is taking flak. "I know people who were offered opportunities to lie for Donald Trump and quietly declined. Harvard & The Emmys calling the wrong folks," Tim Miller, a former Jeb Bush spokesman, tweeted, per CNN. President Trump, meanwhile, took to Twitter late Tuesday to bash the Emmy ratings, which he called "the worst ever," reports Politico. The show drew 11.4 million viewers, slightly more than the all-time low of 11.3 million in 2016.