White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made an unintentional cameo on Murphy Brown Thursday night after the title character charged her way into White House Briefing Room and challenged Sanders on her dishonesty.
Brown, played by Candice Bergen, took over a reporter's turn to speak, which Sanders said was "inappropriate."
"Excuse me, if you really want to talk about what's inappropriate, how about the way you do your job?" Brown quipped. “The role of the White House press secretary is to create transparency in the government and tell the American people the truth, but that’s not what happens in this room."
Social media loved it.
I LOVED THIS EPISODE! So Great when she called out @pressec as a LIAR and sad state of affairs that none of her fel… https://t.co/kr1jerCsDo— Space Jesus (@Space Jesus) 1538749099.0
“If we cant even get to the truth, then why are we even here ?” Sarah Sanders response to #MurphyBrown “That’s… https://t.co/zAP5foD4MP— IMPEACH TRUMP (@IMPEACH TRUMP) 1538705234.0
I wish somebody would do in real life what Murphy Brown just did on tv. Somebody needs to call out that nothing but… https://t.co/dxMFprwSup— Stacy Hibbs (@Stacy Hibbs) 1538705007.0
I want to see ANYBODY drill @PressSec in real life the way we just saw it on #MurphyBrown— Sal Serafino (@Sal Serafino) 1538704598.0
Question to Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Why do you lie? Damn good question, I say. #MurphyBrown— November Magic 🍁🍂 🌈 (@November Magic 🍁🍂 🌈) 1538704392.0
Would love to see a real reporter question Sarah Huckabee Sanders the way #MurphyBrown did tonight!— Belinda Rolicheck (@Belinda Rolicheck) 1538711771.0
Ha! #MurphyBrown calls @PressSec a liar! Oh, how I’ve missed you! #DanQuayle #Potato #Potatoe— Therese Mary 🌊❄️ (@Therese Mary 🌊❄️) 1538708602.0
Perfect, #MurphyBrown letting Sarah Huckabee Sanders have it, the way we would all like to!!— acitrep (@acitrep) 1538704645.0
#MurphyBrown crashed a daily press briefing to ask Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Why do you lie? If only Murphy weren’t a fictional journalist.— Doodledeedub (@Doodledeedub) 1538704639.0
"Why do you lie?" #MurphyBrown someone should really ask that question to Sarah Huckabee Sanders— nurserobin (@nurserobin) 1538704591.0
Yes queen #murphybrown Drag Sarah Sanders through the MUDD— RedhairedMere (@RedhairedMere) 1538704572.0
I wish Sarah Huckabee Sanders would get asked why does she lie at every press briefing. #MurphyBrown— Mindy Haltiwanger (@Mindy Haltiwanger) 1538704488.0
@MurphyBrownCBS Let Sarah Sanders have it, #MurphyBrown 👊🏼 https://t.co/L51cS7jB0T— ✨Danielle✨ (@✨Danielle✨) 1538704404.0
Brown continued her forceful rebuke of Sanders and President Donald Trump's administration.
"Whether it's about a meeting with Russians in Trump Tower or a made-up mandate that requires separation between parents and their children at the border, it all comes down to the same thing, so here's my question," Brown said. "Why do you lie?"
The Briefing Room filled with gasps, as a clip of Sanders responded.
"I think that's a ridiculous question," a recorded Sanders said.
But Brown wasn't done. She turned her attention to her fellow reporters, asking:
"And how demoralizing is it to be called 'the enemy of the people'... if we can't get to the truth, why are we here?"
Brown then urged the journalists in the room to walk out - which they, of course, did not.
Murphy Brown first aired in 1988 and is centered around an aggressive female investigative journalist of the same name. It ran for 10 seasons totaling 247 episodes. After a two-decade hiatus, the show returned to CBS last month for a 13-episode reboot.