MAGA-friendly comedian Shane Gillis, who attended Donald Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event, shared his take on UFC fighter Josh Hokit’s bizarre outburst about former first lady Michelle Obama when he was cornered by a TMZ reporter Sunday night.
The 28-year-old fighter celebrated his win over Derrick Lewis via a TKO in the second round on Sunday night by shouting, “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” which was met with both laughs and loud groans. Gillis, 38, who was fired from Saturday Night Live before his debut episode for using a racial slur on his podcast, told TMZ he “didn’t love” the comment when asked for his reaction by the outlet.
The comment comes just after Gillis faced backlash for his performance as the host of Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart, during which he told jokes about slavery and lynching. MAGA fan Tony Hinchcliffe, who made a name for himself by telling racist jokes at Trump’s 2024 rally at Madison Square Garden, also drew backlash at the Netflix roast for joking about the public murder of George Floyd.
Both Hinchcliffe and Gillis attended the UFC Freedom 250 on the White House’s South Lawn on Sunday to mark Trump’s 80th birthday.
For Gillis, the appearance also comes after his embrace by the anti-“woke” comedy world following his firing from SNL. Since then, the comedy star has returned to host the show twice as show boss Lorne Michaels looks to bring in more “red-state” viewers.
Gillis has received less backlash for attending Trump’s UFC event than fellow comedian Nate Bargatze, who was revealed to have attended when actress Cheryl Hines posted a photo of him with her and her Health Secretary husband, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bargatze, America’s top-selling stand-up comic for his family-friendly material, did not post about attending the event on any of his social media pages himself.
Ultimately, it did little to lessen the outcry when anti-Trump fans skewered him for his appearance on Sunday.
Gillis’ appearance, on the other hand, did not appear to shock fans the same way. Several A-listers reportedly turned down the administration’s invites to attend the cage match.
