Shane Gillis says he reassured Saturday Night Live staff that his monologue would cause no controversy before a joke about women’s workout clothes drew public criticism.
The 38-year-old comedian revisited the performance on the November 13 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, discussing the response with Rogan and fellow comedian Mark Normand.
His October 10 appearance was his third time hosting the NBC show, with Rosalía as musical guest. The broadcast was the third episode of Season 52, following his earlier hosting turns in February 2024 and March 2025.
Gillis was initially announced as an SNL cast member in September 2019, then dismissed four days later after earlier podcast clips containing racial and homophobic slurs surfaced. He left before appearing in an episode, according to ABC News.
Gillis Recalls His Promise to the SNL Team
When staff asked about his material, Gillis said the routine mainly involved making fun of his own weight. “Fellas, I’m giving you a solid C minus of a monologue but I promise there’s no controversy,” he recalled saying, according to TheWrap.
When the conversation turned to whether producers had approved the material, Gillis described his understanding of the process, stand-up hosts generally do not write out their entire sets for approval. He acknowledged that the show could intervene to stop material, and said hosts from other backgrounds may have monologues written for them.
Normand recalled watching Gillis perform the same routine at New York’s Comedy Cellar about a week before the broadcast. He said the material had received an enthusiastic response there.
Later in the discussion, Gillis said he had no objection to women wearing tight clothing while exercising. When Rogan suggested that men dressed differently, Gillis pointed to men’s compression shorts as a comparable example.
The Gym Joke That Prompted the Backlash
The monologue described Gillis returning to a public gym and noticing women’s tight, brightly colored shorts. He used the term “whores” to describe how women were dressed, then joked about men appearing in the background of workout videos if they looked in the wrong direction.
Dan Levy criticized the comments as misogynistic and urged other men to speak up. Phoebe Robinson questioned the quality of the material and highlighted the different treatment of women in workout clothes and shirtless men, as PhillyVoice reported.
Former cast member Ego Nwodim appeared to respond through an Instagram Stories gym selfie captioned “whore reporting for duty.” SNL graphic designer Jessie Leo questioned whether she could feel comfortable approaching NBC’s human resources department after the show aired the joke, according to CNN.
Dana Carvey defended Gillis’s comic intent on the October 19 episode of Fly on the Wall, while suggesting that SNL was the wrong setting for the material. Jimmy Carr defended Gillis in an audience Q&A clip posted on X, arguing that a comedian’s intention should guide how a joke is received.
Gillis Discusses Social Media and His Agent’s Joke
Gillis said he stayed online after losing his cast position and mentally noted who criticized him. This time, he explained, “I just deleted everything immediately.” As a result, he said he had not kept track of who had commented on the performance.
He also described his agent joking about using his touring success to displace critics from bookings at venues they were playing. Gillis said he would not follow through on the suggestion.
Gillis questioned which touring performers would be affected, saying he did not think any of them had spoken against him. Rogan characterized the criticism as coming from less successful comedians.
