Comedian Shane Gillis is facing intense public pushback following his opening monologue on “Saturday Night Live,” in which he used derogatory language to describe the clothes women wear while working out at the gym.
During his appearance Saturday on the NBC comedy series, Gillis delivered a seven-minute stand-up routine about returning to fitness. In the set, he remarked that he “didn’t know women just dress like whores now” at workout facilities, describing colorful athletic shorts and complaining that men are forbidden from looking because women are recording videos. The line drew groans and few laughs from the studio audience, NBC News reported.
Celebrities and former cast respond
The remarks swiftly ignited widespread criticism across social platforms, including responses from prominent entertainment figures. Former “SNL” cast member Ego Nwodim responded Monday by sharing a gym mirror selfie on her Instagram Story, posing in athletic gear with the caption, “Whore reporting for duty.” She followed the post with a photograph of her meal, joking about consuming protein “after heauxing,” according to TheWrap and Variety. Nwodim departed the sketch show ahead of its current 51st season after seven seasons on the cast.
Actor Dan Levy, the co-creator and star of “Schitt’s Creek” who previously hosted the late-night program in 2021, posted a video on Instagram on Sunday condemning the remarks, Deadline reported.
“Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists. There’s a difference there,” Levy said in the video.
Levy added that he was “speechless that something like that can exist on live national television” and urged more men to speak out against degrading depictions of women, saying that media objectification fosters dangerous environments.
History of controversy
Saturday marked Gillis’ third time hosting the broadcast, following earlier stints in February 2024 and March 2025. The comic has a fraught history with the show. NBC hired him as a featured player in 2019 but terminated him days later before he ever took the stage, after previous podcast clips surfaced featuring anti-Asian and homophobic slurs. Executive producer Lorne Michaels and the network described the language as offensive and unacceptable at the time.
During a Dr. Seuss-themed sketch later in Saturday’s broadcast, Gillis accidentally uttered an expletive on the air and subsequently apologized for the slip. Social media users noted that while the performer apologized for swearing on live television, he offered no contrition for his opening insults directed at women, NBC News reported.
Online commentators and authors also criticized the timing of the jokes amid ongoing national debates concerning sexual assault and campus safety, referencing recent high-profile allegations at Cornell University. Writer and comedian Sophia Benoit argued on X that jokes mocking women’s gym clothing have circulated for years without comedic merit, while author Jessica Valenti characterized the routine as part of an environment dismissive of sexual misconduct.
Representatives for Gillis and “Saturday Night Live” did not immediately reply to requests for comment regarding the monologue.
