Shane Gillis Addresses Criticism of His Controversial 'Saturday Night Live' Monologue: 'I Deleted Everything Immediately'
Shane Gillis Addresses Criticism of His Controversial 'Saturday Night Live' Monologue: 'I Deleted Everything Immediately'
OK! Staff Sat, November 14, 2026 at 3:26 PM UTC
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Shane Gillis addressed the backlash surrounding his controversial 'Saturday Night Live' monologue. BY: MEGA
Shane Gillis addressed the backlash over his Saturday Night Live monologue jokes about women's gym clothes.
"The first time I got fired, I kept social media and in my head I was like, 'That guy talked s—.' This time, I just deleted everything immediately. So, I don't really know," the comedian said on the November 13 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."
Gillis, who was fired from SNL in 2019 for past offensive remarks, faced fresh criticism after his October 10 hosting gig.
Gillis Explains His Controversial 'SNL' Monologue
Shane Gillis revealed he 'deleted everything immediately' after facing criticism over his jokes. BY: MEGA
During his opening monologue, Gillis joked about women's workout clothes, drawing backlash for his language.
"I haven't been to the gym in so long, I didn't know women just dress like w—– now?" he said.
"Look, I'm sorry, there's no other way to describe [it], Have you seen it? I've seen it. The shorts. Have you seen the shorts? Those neon, they're like artificial bait-colored. And the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combined at the b——-. And don't look, you're not allowed to look. For real, don't look because they are filming. I'm in the background of like 10 TikToks right now," he added.
On Joe Rogan's show, Gillis denied having an issue with women's workout clothes, stating, "For the record, [i] don't have a problem with it."
Gillis Reveals Whether 'SNL' Approved His Jokes
Shane Gillis insisted he doesn't object to women's gym attire. BY: MEGA
On the podcast, a co-host said Gillis did the same jokes at New York City's Comedy Cellar a week before, suggesting SNL had approved it.
"Not to defend SNL, they don't approve it. I mean, they could shut it down," Gillis explained.
"They could, but you don't write your set and give it to them," he continued. "Unless you're not a comedian. I'm sure non-comics, they write the set for them. They have writers that write the monologue for them."
Gillis recalled reassuring the show's crew that his jokes wouldn't spark controversy.
"The funniest part was, I was going in going — 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,'" he 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 f——- 10 minutes. That's it,'" he added.
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Dan Levy and Phoebe Robinson Slam Gillis
Dan Levy and Phoebe Robinson slammed Gillis' comments and called them 'misogynistic.' BY: MEGA
Dan Levy publicly criticized Gillis, writing in an Instagram post the next day that he was "speechless that something like that can exist on live national television."
"Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them w—–. It makes the men calling them w—–, misogynists. There's a difference there," Levy said.
He added, "By the way, I've seen more men's n—— in the gym than I've ever seen women showing their bodies off."
Levy also urged men to challenge misogynistic behavior.
Comedian Phoebe Robinson also condemned Gillis' joke.
"Aren't we tired," she asked. "Aren't we sick of this misogynistic, lazy-a–, hack, mediocre, straight-male f—— disdain for women that's masked as f—— comedy? Don't we want better?"
Dana Carvey and Jimmy Carr Defend Gillis
Dana Carvey and Jimmy Carr defended Gillis' remarks, saying they viewed them as 'a joke.' BY: MEGA
While some comedians criticized Gillis, others said his comments were just comedy, not a serious take.
Former SNL star Dana Carvey discussed the controversy on his "Fly on the Wall" podcast.
"I just didn't understand the kerfuffle only because, to me, I just saw it as what we call — I'll just say it — a joke," Carvey said.
Comedian Jimmy Carr also defended Gillis, arguing that "intent is much more important than content."
Carr said Gillis was just "trying to make people laugh."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
