Shane Gillis Addresses Backlash Over SNL Monologue

Shane Gillis addressed backlash over his opening monologue during the Oct. 10 episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he accused women of “dressing like whores” at the gym.

Gillis on SNL and the Monologue

On a Friday episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Gillis said SNL does not approve material beforehand.

“Not to defend SNL, they don’t approve it. I mean, they could shut it down. They could, but you don’t write your set and give it to them. Unless you’re not a comedian,” he said. “I’m sure non-comics, they write the set for them. They have writers that write the monologue for them.”

Gillis said he told people the monologue was “not great” but that he did not say anything bad.

“The funniest part was, they were like, ‘What’s going on with the monologue?’ And I was like, ‘It’s not great, but I don’t say anything bad,'” Gillis said. “The whole time, I was like, ‘Fellas, I’m giving you a solid C minus of a monologue, but I promise there’s no controversy. I’m calling myself fat for fucking 10 minutes. That’s it.'”

Gillis said he thinks the backlash “obviously had a lot to do with the climate.” Regarding the clothing itself, he added, “Don’t have a problem with it.”

Reaction and Background

The monologue drew criticism from Dan Levy, former SNL castmember Ego Nwodim and Inde Navarrette, who took a dig at the joke during her opening monologue on the show’s Halloween episode. Kathy Griffin also called out Gillis, as did SNL UK’s Ania Magliano on the British counterpart’s “Weekend Update.” Dana Carvey, David Spade and Jimmy Carr have shown their support.

Gillis was announced as a new SNL castmember in 2019 but was fired before making his debut after past podcast comments resurfaced. The decision came in response to resurfaced videos of Gillis mocking Asian accents, in addition to using ethnic and gay slurs. He has since hosted SNL in 2024 and 2025.

Why it matters

The incident shows how a monologue that aired without prior approval from SNL can still generate widespread backlash and draw responses from fellow comedians both on and off the show.

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Sources

• hollywoodreporter.com: Shane Gillis Addresses SNL Monologue Backlash, Controversial Gym Joke
• deadline.com: Shane Gillis Says He Promised 'SNL' "No Controversy"

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.