Comedian Shane Gillis returned to host Saturday Night Live, sparking widespread public backlash after using his opening monologue to describe women at the gym as dressing like whores, while also dropping an explicit curse word during a sketch.
Shane Gillis Monologue Remarks Ignite Public Backlash
During his third hosting stint on the sketch comedy series, Gillis used his opening stand-up routine to address his absence from public fitness centers. He told the audience that he had not visited a gym in a long time and claimed he did not realize how women dressed for workouts. The comedian remarked, I didn’t know women just dress like whores now
, before going on to discuss activewear shorts and telling viewers that men were not allowed to look
at the clothing.
The remarks drew immediate groans and jeers from the studio audience, followed by a wave of condemnation across social media platforms. Critics on X and TikTok blasted the bit as blatant slut-shaming directed at ordinary women. Feminist writer Jessica Valenti posted a video reacting to the routine, pointing out that the remarks arrived amid a national conversation concerning sexual assault. Other viewers expressed shock that such material aired on national television, questioning how audience members in the studio could find the comments amusing.
Dan Levy and Other Public Figures Condemn the Routine
Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy posted an Instagram reel condemning the monologue as misogynistic and stating that the objectification of women actively contributes to a culture that minimizes sexual assault. Levy argued that women wearing short workout attire do not merit offensive labels, and he challenged men to take a more active role in opposing such rhetoric.
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. By the way, I’ve seen more men’s nipples at the gym than I’ve ever seen women showing their bodies off, but I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television.
Dan Levy, actor and creator
Levy urged that the issue must be treated as a collective responsibility rather than solely a women’s matter, emphasizing that media objectification leads other men to view and treat women as objects. Several prominent figures voiced support for his stance in the comments section, including actor Elizabeth Banks and Broadway actor Barrett Wilbert Weed. Comedian Phoebe Robinson also published a video reacting to the monologue in disbelief.
F-Bomb Slip and Complicated History With Saturday Night Live
The monologue controversy overshadowed an on-air blunder earlier in the evening when Gillis accidentally blurted out an explicit curse word during a Dr. Seuss-themed sketch. Playing a concerned son attempting to stop Sam-I-Am from bothering his father about green eggs and ham, Gillis accidentally said f***
on live TV. Gillis offered a brief apology to the audience during the goodnight segment alongside musical guest Rosalía.
The episode marked another chapter in a turbulent relationship with the sketch institution. The network hired Gillis as a cast member in 2019 alongside Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, but fired him before his first appearance after podcast clips surfaced featuring racist slurs and homophobic remarks. At the time, Gillis described himself as a boundary-pushing comedian and apologized to anyone genuinely offended by his past material. Despite that early dismissal, he returned as a host in 2024 and 2025, making this weekend’s broadcast his third time hosting the long-running show.
Season 52 Context and Episode Highlights
The broadcast opened with James Austin Johnson debuting an impersonation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alongside Colin Jost portraying the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, who also appeared later in a sketch set on the returned naval ship USS Lincoln. The show’s cast roster for Season 52 features returning performers alongside new featured players Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter, with Reiter earning praise from reviewers for her performance in sketches such as a chess tournament and a Weekend Update segment alongside Ashley Padilla.
