Comedian David Spade Blasts Obama: He’s ‘Thirsty’ for Attention

December 28th, 2015 9:36 AM

President Obama and the First Lady are unusual targets for most famous comedians.

But they didn’t get a break from Saturday Night Live alum David Spade, who called the President “thirsty” for attention, after the first family's many television appearances.

After a TMZ reporter asked Spade about his past criticism over Obama’s appearance on the wilderness survival reality television show Running Wild with Bear Grylls last September, the comedian explained he felt it was unbecoming of the President to appear on reality TV.

“I criticized Obama because I thought, you know, a president should have a little more dignity than – I mean, I realize that Woodrow Wilson went on Dancing With the Stars once, but what president’s doing reality shows? It just sounds weird to me, you know?"

“It’s just too much,” the comedian told TMZ in a video posted to their website Dec. 27.

Spade then ripped into the media’s fascination with Michelle Obama.

“[M]ichelle Obama’s on Ellen more than I am. I mean, what First Lady -- it’s just, it’s just a new world. It’s just I’m not used to it. And they’re out -- it just seems a bit thirsty to me, that’s all.”

But Spade wasn’t done. He went on to suggest that all these media appearances were set up so that the Obamas would continue to have running reality show gigs after they left the White House.

“I think they’re going to do fine, but they’re sort of plotting, after the White House,” he suggested.

The comedian elaborated, “Like, he’s on GQ – I’m like, leave that to Bradley Cooper. You don’t need to go – you’re the president,” he laughed. “You’re above all of us, you’re above stars, you’re above everything, right. When he’s trying to get in the mix, like, ‘I want to present at the MTV Awards’ – all right guy, you got it, relax,” Spade snarked.

The criticism is unusual for someone who comes from Hollywood but it certainly isn’t unfounded -- the First Lady alone has had 126 credited television appearances as of last June.